In the News

December 19, 2014 | Wednesday’s decision by President Barack Obama to normalize relations with Cuba left many Cuban-Americans and their political allies seething. Obama cited a number of reasons for his move, but one he didn’t menton is likely that the group of wealthy Cuban-Americans who have played such an active role in supporting politicians who opposed normalizing relations simply aren’t…

December 17, 2014 | Former Florida Governor and ex-First Brother Jeb Bush announced his plans to start a fundraising committee next month, and immediately some big names in GOP money — such as Florida developer Mel Sembler — got behind him. Bush has recently proven his ability to raise big bucks, but some of Bush’s likely competitors for the…

December 10, 2014 | The progressive political group MoveOn.org is making a not-so-subtle push to get Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) into the 2016 presidential race. Nearly two years ahead of the first open presidential race since 2008, MoveOn has pledged at least $1 million to help Warren after gaining majority approval in a vote put to its 8 million…

November 13, 2014 | The Grand Old Party might prefer to see President Obama eat crow when it comes to health care or immigration reform, but they’ll have to settle for watching him pardon Republican-raised turkeys this Thanksgiving. In what just might be an instance of the use of executive power with which House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will not take issue, Obama will…

July 15, 2014 | In 2004, Randy DeLay was asked by the commissioners of the Port of Brownsville, Texas, to justify his $25,000 monthly lobbying bills. Why was he submitting such high travel expenses for what appeared to be junkets? DeLay, the younger brother of then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), explained to them that lobbying is expensive work, especially when you’re trying to…

June 17, 2014 | Since the beginning of the 2014 campaign cycle last year, 14 donors — running the gamut from a hedge fund manager to a gay rights activist to a little-known Salt Lake City venture capitalist — have given $100,000 or more to President Barack Obama’s avowedly un-campaign committee, Organizing for Action. Another 26 have ponied up…

May 2, 2014 | A patch of coastal North Carolina might seem like an unusual place to wage a political battle over the future of Israel. But Rep. Walter B. Jones‘ (R-N.C.) long record of isolationist foreign policy votes has attracted over $1 million in outside spending to his congressional district, where his seat was once considered “extremely safe.”In a twist on the…

February 28, 2014 | A Senate report this week hammered European banking giant Credit Suisse for helping American clients hide billions in Swiss tax shelters. Still, despite the report and a tough hearing that followed, Credit Suisse is actually on quite good terms with a number of lawmakers -- and is an all-around big spender in town.

January 15, 2014 | In anticipation of the Supreme Court's ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the Center for Responsive Politics and the Sunlight Foundation have teamed up to look at the deep-pocketed donors who could give even more if the justices strike down another limit on the amount of money in U.S. politics.

January 6, 2014 | Liz Cheney may have left a lot of money on the table when she dropped her 2014 bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Wyoming today. Through the end of September -- the most recent fundraising report available -- Cheney had raised more than $1 million in campaign cash, but had spent just $232,000. At the last official counting, Cheney had $795,062 on hand.

September 27, 2013 | This Monday, September 30, at 1 p.m. EST, OpenSecrets.org will host a live web chat discussing the results of our recent report, "Sex, Money & Politics: A Center for Responsive Politics Report on women as donors and candidates."

July 2, 2013 | Fancy dinners with members of Congress are all but verboten for lobbyists these days. But they can still make an impression with campaign contributions. An OpenSecrets.org analysis has crunched the available numbers from the 2014 election cycle.

June 24, 2013 | Senators who voted for cloture on a key amendment to the comprehensive immigration overhaul bill tended to receive much more money from the computer industry, human rights groups and labor unions. The 27 senators who voted against the amendment, which strengthens border security but is also a step towards passing the overall immigration package, on average received very little money from those three types of groups, but did receive heavy support from donors in the agribusiness industry.

March 25, 2013 | Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is creating a shadow money group to push for immigration reform. The billionaire's new nonprofit will be backed by a number of other executives and a team of bipartisan consultants with powerful connections.

March 8, 2013 | Talk of increasing the minimum wage is heating up -- but the subject is always a lobbying issue. Also, Rand Paul may have gotten bipartisan help for his talking filibuster, but don't look for it in his campaign finances.

March 4, 2013 | Skirmishing over proposals to overhaul the nation's immigration laws has begun in earnest, but lobbying on the issue picked up months ago. Last year more clients reported lobbying on immigration than in any year since 2008.

February 28, 2013 | A fellow Democrat, though a sometimes wayward one, skewers the Obama group's fundraising plans. And Southern Co. is close to closing its $8.3 billion loan guarantee deal with the government. Oh yes, and recently it gave $100,000 to Obama's inaugural committee.

February 14, 2013 | Americans borrow a lot of money, and so do members of Congress. In 2011, lawmakers owed between $238.9 million and $568.3 million to various creditors, not including their home mortgage obligations. But it's not all student and car loans and carried-over credit card balances. Lawmakers borrow to buy planes and boats, and get involved in complex transactions involving lines of credit and margin loans with exclusive investment funds. And some carry credit card balances of more than $100,000.

February 1, 2013 | NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the top brass of the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens tilt Republican, though not dramatically. The same goes for the extremely well-funded NFL Gridiron PAC.

December 3, 2012 | J.C. Watts, who's being mentioned as a possible RNC chair, has some strong ties to shadow money. A dialysis company that's accused of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid has invested heavily in Washington. And Bloomberg's pro-gun control super PAC likely had an impact.

November 15, 2012 | Sen. John McCain says he'll oppose Susan Rice as Secretary of State, though not because she was an Obama bundler in 2008. Also, we know about presidential bundlers (well, not so much about Romney's), but what about those who bundled for incoming lawmakers?

November 1, 2012 | Romney's been focusing on the automobile industry during the closing days of the campaign. In campaign finance terms, he's already the industry's favored candidate. A breakdown of the numbers, though, shows that's largely attributable to support from car dealers and their employees. Obama wins when it comes to donations from the Big Three automakers' workers.

November 1, 2012 | It would appear that Jeff Flake holds all the cards in his campaign to win Arizona's open Senate seat. But despite having outraised his Democratic opponent, and having more outside spending going his way, Flake's move to the other side of the Capitol is far from certain.

October 25, 2012 | This time last cycle, Wall Street had give candidate Barack Obama $9 million more than this time around and was his fourth-highest contributing industry. Mitt Romney has received almost $13 million more from Wall Street than Obama.

October 22, 2012 | The candidates' committees have remained the focus of presidential fundraising, though less so in the case of the Republicans. The RNC and outside groups have helped keep Romney competitive.

October 17, 2012 | With support from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and a board laden with well-connected luminaries of GOP fundraising, the Republican Jewish Coalition is making a strong push to turn just enough Jews against Obama to deny him re-election.

October 2, 2012 | When tens of millions of viewers tune in Wednesday to the first of three debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, it's likely that the only fireworks will be on stage. But controversy rages about the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is hosting the event, and several sponsors have dropped out in recent days.

August 31, 2012 | Although the Romney campaign refuses to publicly release the list of its donors, a number of these elite fundraisers (those who have raised $1 million or more for the campaign) enjoyed a celebratory gathering on a yacht Tuesday. OpenSecrets Blog was at the marina to witness the comings and goings.

August 28, 2012 | Charlie Crist makes convention news, agreeing to speak at the Democratic event next week -- despite being the beneficiary of millions from Republicans during his career, a New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate shows how to run a campaign on the cheap, and convention sponsors are holding back this year.

August 16, 2012 | Lobbying on the DREAM Act made strange allies on Capitol Hill. A new poll shows Mitt Romney ahead in some key battleground states. And the DCCC hits Rep. Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) on Medicare.

August 10, 2012 | New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman requests financial information from political nonprofit groups. Mitt Romney to crack $400 million in fundraising. And Barack Obama losing his edge among student donors.

July 6, 2012 | After riding an anti-establishment Tea Party wave into office in 2010, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has gone from being a relatively unknown state representative to a potential vice presidential pick in just two short years. Although some have reported that GOP candidate Mitt Romney is not vetting Rubio, the campaign insists it is considering the 41-year-old Florida native for the VP slot.

June 28, 2012 | Campaign finance disclosures released last week by the presidential campaigns, parties and one of the joint fundraising committees have raised a lot of eyebrows and generated speculation about the financial challenge facing the President's re-election campaign. Although it's unclear whether the fundraising surge experienced by the Romney campaign (writ broadly) in May will be sustained. But it seems unlikely that either candidate will lose due to lack of funds.

May 24, 2012 | The presidential and political party committees have all submitted their April monthly campaign finance reports to the FEC. But we won't know Romney's true number until his new joint fundraising committee, formed with state and national GOP committees, submits its report. Oddly, it's not on the same filing schedule as all the others.

April 4, 2012 | Yahoo recently sued Facebook over allegations of patent infringement. In this edition of Capital Rivals, we're pitting internet companies Yahoo and Facebook against each other to see who wins the money-in-politics game. It's a closer match-up than you might expect.

February 28, 2012 | Tuesday's Republican primaries will definitely make interesting political news in the race for the White House. Take this week's PolitiQuizz to test your knowledge of Arizona's political contributions.

February 21, 2012 | The 2008 presidential election was the most expensive election in terms of candidate expenditures. Take this week's PolitiQuizz to see if you can identify one of the smallest money candidates, in terms of independent expenditures, from that election.

February 15, 2012 | Our updated infographic reflects the latest bundler information disclosed by the presidential candidates: On the Democratic side, 444 bundlers have been collecting money for the re-election committee of President Obama and the Democratic National Committee, up from 357 at the end of September. On the Republican side...well, we really don't know.

February 1, 2012 | President Barack Obama has raised more money for his re-election bid from small-dollar donors than Republican Mitt Romney has collected from all his contributors, according to a new Center for Responsive Politics analysis.

February 1, 2012 | Harold Simmons, long one of the GOP's most prolific donors, cemented his place on the speed-dial of fundraisers for conservative causes on Tuesday as several super PACs reported huge hauls from the Texas billionaire in their 2011 year-end campaign finance reports.
Simmons and his holding company, Contran, gave $8.5 million to three super PACs, two of which support candidates for the GOP presidential nomination, in the last quarter of the year.

January 30, 2012 | The computers and Internet industry went into a spending frenzy during the SOPA/PIPA deliberations on Capitol Hill, in a united effort to kill what they deemed to be overreaching legislation that was intended to curb Internet piracy. This week's PolitiQuizz deals with one emerging tech titan.

January 27, 2012 | President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is refunding the donations of five registered federal lobbyists who gave to the committee last year, OpenSecrets Blog has learned. Some of these refunds were triggered after OpenSecrets Blog brought the contributions to the campaign's attention. The Obama campaign has pledged to refuse contributions from lobbyists, continuing a policy it set during the 2008 campaign.

January 19, 2012 | Kicking off his 1996 presidential campaign, Republican Phil Gramm told a crowd that he had "the most reliable friend you can have in politics -- ready money." We'll see how much friendship each of this year's White House hopefuls has collected on Jan. 31, when campaign finance disclosure reports from the presidential campaigns are due at the Federal Election Commission. While we're waiting, though, it's worth taking a look at the candidates' finances thus far in the race, and how this race compares to previous ones.

January 10, 2012 | Voters in New Hampshire are heading to the polls today for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary contest. Here are three money-in-politics facts about the contest in the Granite State to consider as these votes are cast.

December 27, 2011 | If President Barack Obama does end up with a fiscal advantage in 2012, he can thank, in part, the campaigns of Republicans Steve Forbes and George W. Bush for changing the rules of the game.

November 17, 2011 | While he has surged in recent polls, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may be missing one key ingredient for making a late-stage power play for the GOP presidential nomination: money.

November 16, 2011 | Chicago hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, who served as one of President Barack Obama's top fund-raisers four years ago, says he won't be backing Obama again this election. Instead, he'll be fueling an on-again, off-again love affair with the GOP and raising money to help elect Mitt Romney.

November 7, 2011 | The chairman and largest stakeholder of social media deal-finder Groupon, which went public Friday, is a big-time donor to Democratic causes, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.

October 25, 2011 | Though President Barack Obama may no longer be Wall Street's preferred candidate, Obama continues to win the support of several smaller sectors and interest groups, including lawyers, health professionals, the technology industry and Hollywood.

October 20, 2011 | Nearly lost in the troves of campaign finance data recently released by presidential candidates was an updated list of bundlers for President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. These 359 well-connected supporters have raised at least $56 million for Obama and the Democratic National Committee so far this year, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.

October 14, 2011 | Richard Lowrie, Jr., a Wells Fargo financial analyst in a small town in Ohio, is the man behind Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan. In 2008, Lowrie contributed the legal maximum of $2,300 to Romney's presidential campaign, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. So far this year, he's only given $500 to Cain.

October 10, 2011 | What current high-level member of the Obama administration became a lobbyist one year after he was chief of staff to President Clinton? And how many clients have lobbied his current employer so far in 2011?

October 7, 2011 | A new season means a fresh start for teams like the Houston Texans. Not only is the NFL's newest team the favorite to win its division for the first time, the team ranks as the most politically active since January 2009, according to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

October 6, 2011 | Art Pope, a conservative multimillionaire profiled in this week's New Yorker, used his wealth and nonprofit empire to intervene in 22 state races in North Carolina last year, 18 of which resulted in Republican victories.
The man the New Yorker alleges purchased North Carolina's state legislature in the 2010 elections has steered significant sums to national Republicans as well, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.

October 6, 2011 | Bank of America's decision to charge its debit card users $5 per month has drawn the ire first of customers, and now, politicians, including President Barack Obama, who collected about $395,000 from Bank of America employees during his 2008 presidential run -- although this year BofA employees have favored Republican Mitt Romney with their campaign cash.

October 5, 2011 | Starbuck's Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz has announced that the company will begin accepting donations online and in stores of $5 or more to promote job creation, starting Nov. 1. The move comes after Schultz pledged to "withhold any further campaign contributions to the president and all members of Congress until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger long-term fiscal footing."

September 16, 2011 | The "Cola Wars" aren't raging quite as hard as they were during the 1980s and 1990s, but chances are you know at least a few people who are such die-hard Coke or Pepsi fans they wouldn't even dream of drinking the other.

September 16, 2011 | A bill (H.R. 2587) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday that aims to prevent the National Labor Relations Board from ordering companies to close or relocate employees.

September 9, 2011 | Erskine Bowles, the former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and political jack-of-all-trades, will join the board of directors of Facebook. Bowles brings a variety of experience to the social media giant, including co-chairing President Barack Obama's bipartisan deficit commission last year and serving as president of the University of North Carolina system.

September 6, 2011 | September is National Wilderness Month, and while the Lorax may not be a registered lobbyist in Washington, D.C., several other groups are working to protect the environment and promote wilderness through lobbying and advocacy.

August 18, 2011 | Last week comedian Stephen Colbert's new super PAC made its first move -- advertisements that satirically voiced support for Republican presidential candidate Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. For at least one person, the ad worked. Salvatore Purpura, who had been serving as the treasurer of Colbert's super PAC.

August 17, 2011 | According to research by the Center for Responsive Politics, Schultz, along with his wife, Sheri, has donated $183,650 to federal candidates and political committees since the 1994 election cycle when he made his first known donation. Of that sum, 95 percent has benefited Democrats, including $100,000 to the Democratic National Committee.

August 16, 2011 | Fresh off his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign as the Constitution Party candidate in Colorado, ex-Rep. Tom Tancredo has founded his own super PAC. The group, which is known as the American Legacy Alliance, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission Friday.

August 10, 2011 | One-fifth of the 377 joint fund-raising committees active during the 2010 election cycle received at least half of their donations from one sector. Less than one percent of candidate committees, on the other hand, typically received 50 percent or more of their donations from one sector during the same time period.

August 10, 2011 | Late Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced the identities of his three picks for the "super committee" tasked with cutting the nation's debt and spending -- Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

August 5, 2011 | It happened with typewriters, eight-tracks, VCRs and even flip-phones. Now advocates for the public financing of political campaigns fear that the system once used by most presidential candidates could also become irrelevant without an upgrade.

August 5, 2011 | Republican presidential hopefuls' underwhelming second-quarter fund-raising totals can be attributed, in part, to a large network of elite GOP fund-raisers that remains untapped, the New York Times reported.

August 3, 2011 | OpenSecrets Blog recently sat down with attorney Trevor Potter, the head of the Campaign Legal Center, to discuss the changing campaign finance landscape. The wide-ranging conversation touched on the seriousness of comedian Stephen Colbert's super PAC, how political speech isn't for "sissies" and how the U.S. Supreme Court is made up of "theorists" who are "not in touch with reality" when it comes to how money is being raised and spent.

July 26, 2011 | Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), one of the 25 remaining Blue Dog Democrats in Congress, announced Monday that he would not be seeking a seventh term, leaving his seat in a GOP-leaning district up for grabs.

July 22, 2011 | Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) is playing the victim in attempt to raise more campaign cash. A fund-raising email with subject line "vile, despicable, and unprofessional," calls DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an "attack dog for the 'vast left wing conspiracy,'" and says West is the subject of those attacks.

July 21, 2011 | Since the 1990 election cycle, media mogul Rupert Murdoch has contributed about $750,000 to federal candidates and political committees, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. Of that sum, 80 percent -- or $600,200 -- has benefited Republicans.

July 15, 2011 | Today, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign released the names of 244 bundlers, which the campaign dubbed "volunteer fund-raisers," who collected at least $50,000 each on behalf of the president's re-election.

July 15, 2011 | Today the general public will get a detailed look at who is winning the money race -- and who exactly is bankrolling each of the candidates -- when campaigns file their official reports with the Federal Elections Commission. But one piece of crucial information will be missing from almost all the candidates' filings -- the names of their campaign bundlers.

July 13, 2011 | Wedding season is in full swing. As many soon-to-be-married people spend hundreds of dollars preparing for their weddings, major wedding vendors also spend a healthy amount of money attempting to influence government policy.

July 12, 2011 | Cliff Asness, the founding and managing partner of hedge fund AQR Capital, and Rutgers University professor Susan Feinberg may have irreconcilable differences about a $350 bottle of wine at Washington D.C.'s Bistro Bis, but they once found common ground in the campaign of President Barack Obama. Furthermore, during the 2010 election cycle, Cliff and his wife Laurel Asness also donated $7,666 to the leadership PAC of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), with whom he was spotted sharing an expensive meal by Feinberg.

July 8, 2011 | Historically, Democrats in Congress have been perceived as the bigger proponents for cuts in defense spending. But recent campaign contributions from political action committees show party affiliation alone doesn't translate to support -- or lack thereof -- from defense interests.

June 30, 2011 | Facing potentially stifling federal regulations that threaten to short-circuit their profits, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile have each dumped millions of dollars into campaign contributions and federal lobbying expenditures, hoping that a barrage of political influence will subdue any unwanted restrictions.

June 27, 2011 | A darling of the Tea Party movement, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has positioned herself as a formidable Republican presidential candidate since her performance during a GOP debate earlier this month in New Hampshire.

June 22, 2011 | Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has given his blessing to a new big-money super PAC and authored a fund-raising missive on the group's behalf, OpenSecrets Blog has learned. Reid's direct appeal for his supporters to open their wallets for Majority PAC comes at a time of increased haziness about how explicitly lawmakers can raise money for big-money outside groups without running afoul of federal election laws.

June 20, 2011 | Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has personally donated tens of thousands of dollars to political candidates and committees during the past two decades, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. He was also among the 536 elite "bundlers" who directed nearly $76 million to McCain's campaign. How much money did Huntsman himself bundle for the McCain campaign in 2008?

June 13, 2011 | Double dipping is a standard part of presidential politicking. During the 2008 presidential election, hundreds of individuals donated the legal maximum to two or more different presidential candidates, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.

May 17, 2011 | During the past seven days, outside groups have shelled out more than $1.2 million on political messages in New York's 26th Congressional District, where a special election is being held on May 24, touting their preferred candidates and criticizing their opponents, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.

May 13, 2011 | Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), the granddaddy of the Tea Party movement, showed the world he could turn enthusiastic grassroots support into political gold during the 2008 election cycle. But as he again seeks the GOP presidential nomination this year, Paul hopes he won't be just playing second fiddle to the Romneys and Gingriches of the race.

May 12, 2011 | Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, is weighing a presidential bid. And as she does, Bachmann may have a strong claim on President Barack Obama's mantle of small-dollar donor fund-raising success.

May 11, 2011 | With a competitive three-way special election just two weeks away in the New York 26th Congressional District, the big-spending conservative super PAC American Crossroads is stepping into the action. And the group's move prompted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to make a big media buy of its own, too.

May 5, 2011 | An analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics reveals that the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court ruling of January 2010 has profoundly affected the nation's political landscape.

May 4, 2011 | What do you do when you're a foreign government facing heat from U.S. lawmakers about whether you were officially hiding, aiding or abetting Osama bin Laden? Turn to federal lobbyists for assistance, of course.

April 28, 2011 | President Barack Obama returned Wednesday night to a land where campaign cash has flowed for him like milk and honey: New York City. Of every $20 Obama raised when he ran for president in 2008, $1 came from someone in New York City. And as he battles for re-election, Obama is hoping to keep his New York City supporters motivated to again open their pocketbooks for him.

April 11, 2011 | Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney today announced his intention to explore a presidential run in a video posted on his website. Romney, a Republican and proven political fund-raiser, was long expected to declare his intention to again run for president.

April 4, 2011 | During the 2008 election, Barack Obama set fund-raising records and mobilized millions of individual donors. Obama was particularly successful in turning small-dollar donors into repeat givers, often via the Internet. His re-election campaign will be trying to emulate that success this go around.

April 1, 2011 | In a dispute with Home Depot regarding shareholders' rights to know about the company's political spending, the Securities and Exchange Commission has come down on the side of additional transparency. Shareholder activism has been a hot bed of activity since the U.S. Supreme Court, a year ago, overturned a ban on corporate independent expenditures in federal elections in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

March 28, 2011 | During oral arguments in McComish v. Bennett, the Supreme Court's more conservative justices showed particular interest in the independent expenditure trigger provision of Arizona's public financing law -- and skepticism about its constitutionality.

March 28, 2011 | The U.S. Supreme Court today will hear the first challenge to laws regarding public financing systems for political campaigns since the 1970s. Here is OpenSecret Blog's synopsis of the case.

March 21, 2011 | Republican Tim Pawlenty, the former two-term governor of Minnesota, has decided to explore a run for the U.S. presidency. "Join the team," he said in a message on Facebook, "and together, we'll restore America."

March 3, 2011 | In late February, President Barack Obama announced 22 new members for his council on jobs and competitiveness, a group he established in January. The new appointees are also linked by a shared experience: donating to Democrats.

February 25, 2011 | Before the subprime mortgage meltdown, accusations of fraud and insider trading and congressional investigations into his VIP mortgage program, Countrywide Chairman Angelo Mozilo was a generous campaign donor. Between January 1989 and June 2008 -- when Mozilo left Countrywide -- he donated about $120,000 to federal candidates and committees, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance records.

February 24, 2011 | The federal government's selection of Boeing to build the next generation of Air Force aerial refueling tankers comes after years of contentious fighting that's resulted in sky-high lobbying spending and accelerated campaign contributions to key politicians.

February 4, 2011 | A new report from the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of State slams the tenure of U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Cynthia Stroum, one of the top fund-raisers for President Barack Obama and a prolific Democratic donor. Obama appointed her to the post in 2009.

February 3, 2011 | Big-name political figures, including potential presidential candidates and party leaders, hauled in millions of dollars during the 2010 election cycle through their personal leadership PACs, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance reports recently filed with the Federal Election Commission. And Republicans dominated.

February 2, 2011 | A watchful nation turned its eyes to Punxsutawney, Pa., this morning to see if Phil, the world's most famous groundhog, would spot his shadow -- a harbinger of early spring or continued winter, according to lore. Perhaps looking for omens of their own electoral success, politicians, too, have turned their gaze on Punxsutawney over the years.

February 1, 2011 | The 2012 Democratic National Convention will convene in Charlotte, N.C., a city already bursting with political love for President Barack Obama: Its residents favored Obama with their campaign cash during his 2008 presidential bid and its voters helped the Democratic Obama edge out Republican John McCain to win the state's 15 Electoral College votes.

February 1, 2011 | Former Republican governor Jon Huntsman of Utah is resigning from his post as U.S. ambassador to China, and rumor has it, he is considering running for the U.S. presidency instead. Huntsman has been the nation's top diplomat in China since the summer of 2009.

January 28, 2011 | A Center for Responsive Politics analysis finds that many of the commission's 10 members are prolific political donors with five of the 10 members donating to at least one of the two congressional leaders responsible their commission appointments

January 14, 2011 | For more than two years, the Tea Party Express' political war chest has been filled with thousands of dollars in donations from a dead woman. How exactly Joan Holmes, who died in 2007, made $7,500 worth of donations from beyond the grave is shrouded in mystery: Both Lee Holmes, her husband, and a Tea Party Express official deny that they're responsible.

January 13, 2011 | Imagine asking a friend before the 2010 midterm elections, "What Senate candidates align with your beliefs?" and the response being "All of them." This is the case for many corporate political action committees

January 11, 2011 | In the debate about 2nd Amendment rights and gun control, one side -- gun supporters -- typically has the upper hand. Now, gun control advocates are hoping momentum will build for new laws after the assassination attempt against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) on Saturday in Tucson.

December 14, 2010 | A new political fund-raising group called "Draft Sarah Palin" registered with the Federal Election Commission this month, federal records indicate, and the committee's treasurer has a history of big-time fund-raising.

December 8, 2010 | While being targeted by the government for consumer and corporate power abuses, Bank of America has spent millions of dollars attempting to woo state and federal officials through professional lobbying efforts and campaign contributions, an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics finds. The company even has two corporate political action committees that target the levels of government differently.

November 4, 2010 | The priciest midterm election in U.S. history saw a Republican tide sweep numerous Democrats out of office, as voters anxious about the state of the economy ousted more House incumbents from office than any time since 1948. While several money-in-politics axioms held true, money was not a panacea for embattled politicians.

November 2, 2010 | In districts currently represented by a Blue Dog, nearly one-in-five of the Democratic candidates have been out-raised, have been out-spent or ended the last reporting period with less cash on hand than their Republican opponents, a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance records shows.

November 1, 2010 | In her re-election bid, sophomore Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the chair of the House Tea Party Caucus, has spent more than any other House candidate running for office this year. As of Oct. 13, she had spent a staggering $8.7 million -- that's one-and-a-half times as much as she spent in 2008 and nearly two-and-a-half times as much as she spent in 2006.

October 29, 2010 | Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) collected $11,500 from fellow Democrats during his 2008 congressional bid, and he's collected $10,500 from Democratic leadership PACs and candidate committees since January 2009, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

October 25, 2010 | Various conservative straw polls from this year have put Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich on top as voter favorites. Although primaries don't begin for another 16 months, potential candidates are already laying groundwork for possible presidential runs.
In the meantime, OpenSecrets Blog explores the financial activities during the 2009-2010 election cycle of the politicos who are angling to challenge President Barack Obama in the next presidential election.

October 8, 2010 | Republican Mark Leyva is one of a several hundred federal candidates whose campaign committees are reporting some form of debt, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

October 7, 2010 | Thirteen Tea Party-backed Republicans want the U.S. Senate to experience a new brand of political brew after November 2. The question isn't whether they will or won't, but rather, how many of them will be in office? And donations from people making modest campaign contributions appear poised to play an integral role in propelling them into office.

October 6, 2010 | The top beneficiaries of the generosity from party leaders and other politicians who donate with their leadership PACs and candidate committees are some of the party's most vulnerable incumbents and most promising challengers.

October 6, 2010 | Most political candidates raise their campaign cash in conventional ways: Calling voters, wooing donors, knocking on doors, and lately, collecting online donations. Or, a political hopeful can own a professional basketball team, make billions of dollars through credit default swaps or serve as chief executive of a wrestling entertainment empire.

October 4, 2010 | Dollars spent on lobbying are set to increase over all other years if spending remains on its current course. And in context of 2010 congressional campaigns, the top lobbyist-funded House and Senate candidates have received more than $9 million to fuel their campaigns.

October 4, 2010 | Not all congressional districts are created equal when it comes to the amount of campaign contributions flowing to candidates. Sometimes, the discrepancy between an incumbent's war chest and that of a challenger is only thousands of dollars. Sometimes, it's millions. And in many congressional districts, incumbents are blowing their competition out of the water.

October 1, 2010 | This spring and summer, hundreds of millions of gallons of oil seeped into the Gulf of Mexico. Simultaneously, debate raged in Congress about ocean drilling, energy independence, cap and trade legislation and a shift away from fossil-fuel energy sources. Nevertheless, congressional candidates and federal political committees nationwide have raked in more than $17 million from the oil and gas industry so far during the 2010 election cycle -- a number on pace to easily exceed that of the most recent midterm election four years ago.

September 30, 2010 | This fall, Republicans need a net gain of 39 seats to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Some of the seats most likely to flip from the Democratic column to Republican control stem from the retirements of sitting Democratic incumbents.
And when it comes to competing for these open seats, Republicans own a financial advantage.

September 29, 2010 | In a congressional election cycle marked by continued economic strife and high unemployment, out-of-state campaign contributions are padding war chests for both incumbents and challengers across the country, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of campaign finance filings.

September 28, 2010 | Heading into the final stretch of the 2010 election, six House incumbents -- five Democrats and one Republican -- have less money left in their campaign coffers than their best-funded challengers, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of the campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

September 28, 2010 | Incumbency is a monumental obstacle to overcome for any political challenger. But 11 congressional challengers -- nine Republicans and two Democrats -- have managed to raise more money than their incumbent rivals, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis found.

September 27, 2010 | Ahead of the November election, top 20 House beneficiaries of the people and political action committees associated with the finance, insurance and real estate sector have together collected more than $16.2 million from Wall Street interests since January 2009. Meanwhile, the Senate candidates and sitting senators to receive the most from Wall Street interests raked in more than $41.3 million since January 2005 -- the beginning of their six-year election cycle.

September 22, 2010 | Geriatric medicine. Woodworking. Business. Psychology. Educators may have varied academic interests. But some of the most politically active of them share one thing in common: the habit of donating huge sums of money to federal candidates, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal campaign records indicates.

September 15, 2010 | The Our Country Deserves Better political action committee of the Tea Party Express helped defeated yet another establishment-favored candidate in a Republican U.S. Senate primary Tuesday night. The Tea Party Express' PAC spent about $100,000 in the final week of the campaign to aid their favored candidate in Delaware, Christine O'Donnell

September 11, 2010 | More than three dozen individuals have explicitly listed their occupation has "meteorologist" on campaign finance filings with the Federal Election Commission since January 2009, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis. These 40 meteorologists donated $33,400 to federal candidates, parties and committees so far this cycle -- an average of $835 per person.

September 3, 2010 | A Washington, D.C.-based interior decorator faces a felony fraud charge brought by the Department of Justice. But Darlene Mathis-Gardner, president and founder of Systems Design Inc., is not just any interior decorator.

August 30, 2010 | Companies that are known for giving us our much-needed caffeine fix have also been known to spend big in politics. In this week's PolitiQuizz, OpenSecrets Blog wants you to investigate the pocketbooks of the political side of your beverage.

August 27, 2010 | Want to know which sitting member of Congress has received the most money from the oil and gas industry? Which lawmaker has received the most from environmentalists? The alternative energy industry? Now you can find that information in one centralized location on OpenSecrets.org -- presented with sort-able and down-loadable options for your convenience.

August 25, 2010 | In 1998, the entire alternative energy industry barely even registered as a political player in Washington, spending a mere $2.4 million on lobbying the federal government. Meanwhile, in the same year, the oil and gas, electric utilities and mining industries spent a combined $142 million advancing their own legislative interests. That landscape, however, has changed considerably.

August 24, 2010 | It's judgment day for candidates in four states representing far-reaching corners of the U.S., as voters in Vermont, Alaska, Arizona and Florida hit the polls today and decide party nominations for races in the House and Senate. Two races in particular have caught our eye, for the sheer amount of cash being thrown around.

August 20, 2010 | "If the Campaign Legal Center had infinite resources, we might file complaints in this area out of principal -- to force the Federal Election Commission to either acknowledge that these groups are breaking the law or to claim to the public that the Commission doesn't view the ads as candidate ads," Paul Ryan, an attorney with the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center told OpenSecrets Blog.

August 17, 2010 | J.D. Hayworth and Roy Blunt are not the only active politicians to have accepted donations from tainted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In all, 37 current congressional candidates and sitting members of Congress received money from Abramoff and his wife.

August 11, 2010 | Donors giving $200 or less helped propel anti-establishment challengers in both the Republican and Democratic U.S. Senate primaries in Colorado, where voters Tuesday backed a conservative Republican favored by many Tea Party activists and nearly ousted the third incumbent senator this year.

July 29, 2010 | Charles Wyly Jr. and Samuel Wyly, Texas businessmen and brothers who are among the most generous campaign donors to Republican political candidates and causes, were today hit with a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit accusing them of fraud worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

July 22, 2010 | Eight House incumbents -- six Democrats and two Republicans -- have less money left in their campaign coffers at the end of June than their best-funded challengers, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of the campaign finance data reported last week to the Federal Election Commission.

July 19, 2010 | Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) last week announced her intention to form a "Tea Party Caucus" in the House of Representatives, with herself as the chair. Bachmann's rising profile has bode well for her campaign coffers this year. Through June 30, she has raised more than $4 million -- including $1.7 million between April and June alone (the most among all House incumbents and challengers).

July 14, 2010 | One of the most powerful lobbying groups, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), announced on Tuesday that Business Roundtable President John Castellani will become the group's new leader. According to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance records, Castellani, along with his wife, has given $65,400 to federal candidates, parties and committees since 1994, with 84 percent of that sum benefiting Republicans.

July 13, 2010 | George Steinbrenner, who died after suffering a heart attack Tuesday morning, owned the New York Yankees since 1973. Steinbrenner's history with politics is as long as his history with baseball. In 1974, he pled guilty to making illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign two years prior -- an action for which he later received a presidential pardoned. Additionally, he, along with his wife, contributed more than $196,000 to federal candidates and committees since 1989.

July 9, 2010 | OBAMA TO APPOINT OLSON TO ADVISORY BOARD: On Thursday, President Barack Obama announced his intention to appoint several prominent people to the Administrative Conference of the United States. Among them: former Bush administration Solicitor General Ted Olson...

June 25, 2010 | At 5:39 a.m., after 20 straight hours of work, a House-Senate conference committee tasked to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the financial reform bill cleared congressional negotiations and is now headed back to the House and Senate for final votes.

June 18, 2010 | In the aftermath of Thursday's congressional hearing on oil company's BP, we're getting this question over and over again: Who are the lawmakers who've received the most money from the company? While we've reported the answer time and again, no better time to rehash it than now.

June 15, 2010 | DEMS WORK FOR NRA-FRIENDLY DISCLOSE ACT: Congressional Democrats have reached a breakthrough on legislation to require campaign advertisements to disclose more information about who is funding them, according to Politico.

June 8, 2010 | The company that owns a pipeline that exploded Monday in north Texas, Houston-based Enterprise Products Company, is on pace spent more on federal lobbying this year than any other year they've lobbied the federal government, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of lobbying reports.

June 3, 2010 | Two of Washington, D.C.'s most reliable and respected nonpartisan watchdogs have once again joined forces, updating their one-of-a-kind, comprehensive database that links campaign contributions with earmarks of members of Congress.

May 28, 2010 | During the first quarter of 2010, only a handful of organizations reported lobbying on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of lobbying reports that explicitly mentioned this measure. Most of the groups identified by the Center supported a repeal of the policy.

May 25, 2010 | UNIONS PLAN TO FLEX MUSCLES: Two major unions plan to spend $100 million to influence the upcoming elections, The Hill reports. The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) intends to invest $67 million and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will spend $44 million.

May 24, 2010 | Senators who voted against the sweeping financial regulatory reform bill Thursday have received about 16 percent more money from the finance, insurance and real estate sector over their careers than senators who supported the measure, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis.

May 19, 2010 | Massive campaign war chests and establishment endorsements were not enough to be victorious in some of the country's most contested Senate primaries Tuesday night. One sitting Senator was defeated and another is heading to a run-off in three weeks, as candidates worked to distance themselves from Washington and position themselves as crusaders against special interests in charged anti-incumbent environments.

May 12, 2010 | ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Fourteen-term Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.V.), who has been named one of the most corrupt members of Congress by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), was defeated in a primary challenge yesterday. Mollohan becomes the second congressional incumbent to be ousted in intra-party fights in four days.

May 11, 2010 | Last Friday, the Federal Election Commission issued an advisory opinion clearing the way for so-called soft money to flow into congressional redistricting battles. According to the new FEC opinion, money spent on redistricting efforts is not "in connection with" a federal election -- thereby exempting such funds from the limits imposed by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 20002.

May 5, 2010 | "Drill baby, drill" or "dead on arrival"? As clean-up crews battle the sprawling effects of last week's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, politicians and advocacy groups are already speculating how this oil rig accident and resulting environmental disaster will impact the politics of American offshore drilling.

May 4, 2010 | MURTHA MONEY DONATED TO NAMESAKE FOUNDATION: Democratic candidates hoping to receive a share of the remaining campaign money of the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) will have to look elsewhere -- Murtha's wife has decided to donate it all to the John P. Murtha Foundation instead, reports Politico.

May 3, 2010 | Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), the top congressional recipient of BP-related campaign cash during the last election cycle, has no plans to return contributions from the company responsible for one of the worst environmental disasters to beset her state, her office tells OpenSecrets Blog.

April 27, 2010 | Hundreds of lobbyists are primed to swarm Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of a wide variety of business interests and ideological groups, all of which have a stake in immigration reform policy – Congress' focus du jour.

April 22, 2010 | With some of the most expensive ticket prices in sports, a television audience that reaches millions, and -- yes -- its own reality television show, Ultimate Fighting Championship is captivating a new generation of sports fans. But in addition to waging battles atop caged, octagonal fighting canvasses, the wildly popular organization is also grappling with politicos on Capitol Hill.

April 16, 2010 | A New York investor named John A. Paulson is at the heart of the fraud lawsuit filed today by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Goldman Sachs. While Paulson is not charged with any wrongdoing, his company allegedly paid Goldman to design a financial tool that earned them $1 billion by betting subprime mortgages would fail. His only financial transactions, however, have not taken place on Wall Street.

April 16, 2010 | Federal candidates and officeholders were required to file their first-quarter campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission by midnight last night. As scores of races across the country heat up for competitive contests, here is a snapshot of campaign finance findings regarding a handful of hot races, based on a Center for Responsive Politics review of reports filed with the FEC.

April 15, 2010 | The White House's top ethics lawyer, Norman Eisen, is reportedly being floated for consideration as the president's top diplomat in the Czech Republic. If Eisen is selected, he would join many of President Barack Obama's prior ambassador picks in having helped raise significant sums of campaign cash for the president and other Democrats.

April 13, 2010 | Particularly vulnerable or especially promising politicians often receive financial help from their fellow partisans who want success on election day. Toward this end, party leaders and others may transfer or contribute money from their candidate committees and leadership PACs to these targeted candidates.

April 11, 2010 | About 16 years ago, Lefty swung right -- and the move didn't involve a 9-iron. Rather, Phil Mickelson donated $705 to the campaign of the deeply conservative JD Hayworth, who was then running for the U.S. House.

April 7, 2010 | Our friends over at the National Institute on Money in State Politics have released their final report on the money in state-level elections in 2007 and 2008. For the first time in history, candidates for state legislatures collectively raised more than $1 billion -- an increase of 9 percent from the 2006 election cycle, and an increase of 26 percent from the 2004 election cycle.

April 6, 2010 | Incumbents nearly always have the cash advantage on Election Day, but according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance records, challengers in at least six congressional districts are out-raising their incumbent opposition.

April 6, 2010 | Massey Energy, owner of a West Virginia coal mine where an explosion Monday killed at least 25 miners, has long involved itself in federal-level politics through campaign contributions and lobbying efforts, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.

April 6, 2010 | Duke University edged out Butler 61-59 last night to take the national college basketball title, the team's first since 2001. The Bulldogs put up a tough fight, but would they have triumphed had the Big Dance been based on federal lobbying expenditures?

March 30, 2010 | In 1998, the entire alternative energy industry barely even registered as a political player in Washington, spending a mere $2.4 million on lobbying the federal government. Meanwhile, in the same year, the oil and gas, electric utilities and mining industries spent a combined $142 million advancing their own legislative interests. That landscape, however, has changed considerably.

March 26, 2010 | PAC-ING HEAT: Former vice presidential candidate and soon-to-be reality TV star Sarah Palin has set her sights on twenty vulnerable House Democrats in the 2010 election. A post on her Facebook page earlier this week featured a map of twenty Democratically held districts in gun sights -- the political targets of her high-caliber political action committee, SarahPAC.

March 25, 2010 | As the Center for Responsive Politics celebrates Sunshine Week this year, we commend the steps taken by the White House and Congress for greater government transparency. Neither the White House nor Congress, though, should rest on their laurels. Despite the good progress made via some specific steps, there remains much to be done. Here are a several matters that require attention this year.

March 2, 2010 | U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) spent months railing against the Federal Reserve for what he considered its failure to protect consumers from abusive financial institutions. Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee who isn't seeking re-election, now appears primed to compromise on his standing desire to create an independent "Consumer Financial Protection Agency" designed to protect consumer interests.

February 22, 2010 | Toyota is primed for a collision with Congress, which wants answers as to why the company's cars are having trouble stopping when their drivers want them to. So this week's PolitiQuizz explores the automotive industry's campaign cash.

February 17, 2010 | A preliminary analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics shows that 433 sitting members of the U.S. House of Representatives raised $78 million during the fourth quarter of 2009, an increase of 5.4 percent above their third-quarter hauls.

February 16, 2010 | J.D. Hayworth's Republican primary challenge to Sen. John McCain will be a difficult and expensive endeavor. McCain benefits from a war chest of more than $27 million as well as a host of Republicans both young -- Sarah Palin, Scott Brown -- and veteran -- Dick Armey, Grover Norquist -- ready to campaign on his behalf.

February 15, 2010 | It's President's Day (technically Washington's Birthday), so it's only apropos that this week's PolitiQuizz focus on our nation's chief executive -- and those who would've loved to serve in the post.

February 12, 2010 | OBAMA NAMES FAVORITES: In an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Tuesday, President Barack Obama named several CEOs that he admires. None of them work on Wall Street. Some of the lucky few to make Obama's list: FedEx CEO Fred Smith, Honeywell CEO David Cote, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

February 4, 2010 | Come Super Bowl Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning will stand on one side of the line of scrimmage, inches away from New Orleans Saints' Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who's tasked with dislodging the all-galaxy quarterback's head. But the outcome of football's biggest game isn't the only point on which Manning and Vilma disagree. In a teeny, tiny Super Bowl subplot, the two rivals are political foils, too.

February 4, 2010 | MONEY IN MIAMI: Democratic senators and K Street lobbyists hit the beach over the weekend at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee retreat at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach Resort, an event with the purpose of raising money for Democratic Senate candidates in the 2010 election.

January 21, 2010 | Corporations, trade associations, unions and nonprofit groups still aren't allowed to make direct contributions to federal politicians, but today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such groups may now spend unlimited amounts of money advocating for or against politicians. In doing do, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Anthony Kennedy, tossed out the distinction between individuals and corporations and their ilk when it comes to independent expenditures.

January 16, 2010 | Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron Paul made waves during the 2008 presidential election for the large sums they raised from people making small contributions of $200 or less. On Thursday, four prominent campaign finance reform advocates said fostering this small-donor enthusiasm was vital to the country's political health.

December 17, 2009 | House Resolution 390 will not result in troop deployments to Afghanistan, an overhaul of the U.S. health care system or the bolstering of an economy in tatters. But because it advocates a new college football playoff format, the legislation, in the minds of millions of fans and at least a few congressional members, is all the same a matter of national import.

December 3, 2009 | Insurance giant AIG's political clout is waning as fast as its finances. Since its near-collapse and government bailout last fall, AIG disbanded its lobbying team. It hasn't donated a dollar from its political action committee this year. Furthermore, contributions from individual AIG employees since January are merely a sliver of what they've been in previous cycles -- although a few notable politicians retain financial or political ties to the embattled company. Among these lawmakers is Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, who pledged to return contributions from AIG employees who got post-bailout bonuses but has nonetheless retained tens of thousands of dollars from them given before the bailout.

November 30, 2009 | Legislation aimed at regulating the securities and investment industry is as complex as the industry itself. But the trade groups representing these interests all seem to have at least one thing in common: they fear additional government regulation will damage their business, which especially concerns them given the ailing economy.

November 23, 2009 | The Federal Election Commission last week gave an early Christmas gift to candidates for federal office, deciding to allow Senate and presidential candidates to pay discounted prices on private air travel.

November 19, 2009 | The various companies and trade groups within the finance and credit industry have contributed about $62.4 million to federal candidates, committees and leadership PACs since 1989, with 62 percent of that sum going to Republicans. In the 2008 election cycle, however, the employees and political action committees of these organizations directed a majority of their money to Democrats for the first time since the 1990 election.

November 18, 2009 | Risk and uncertainty are as certain as death and taxes. So, to share the burden of risk and hedge against the full financial liability, companies have long offered consumers a variety of insurance products. Facing the prospect of new regulation, the insurance industry is on pace to break a record $154 million it spent on federal lobbying efforts last year. During the first nine months of this year, insurers spent $122 million and hired 953 lobbyists.

November 18, 2009 | Like Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton before him, President Barack Obama continues to reward donors, fund-raisers and other loyalists with plum diplomatic posts. The two-dozen bundlers elevated by Obama to serve as ambassadors raised a minimum of $10.7 million for Obama's committees, the Center for Responsive Politics has found.

November 17, 2009 | Sure, our "Crossing Wall Street" series this week is going to be comprehensive, answering your questions about which financial industries are spending big bucks to influence the outcome of financial regulation legislation. But you might want to do some snooping around of your own. So we're providing the tools you need to do so.

November 17, 2009 | On Monday night, the Obama administration announced its intent to nominate Beatrice Wilkinson Welters to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Welters and her husband, Anthony, an executive with UnitedHealth Group, co-founded the AnBryce Foundation in 1995, which provides academic and leadership programs for underserved youth. They also bundled at least $300,000 for President Barack Obama's committees and have been prolific campaign contributions to federal candidates and committees.

November 16, 2009 | Congress often acts as a type of bank for bankers themselves -- a place executives can direct their cash, perhaps hoping to collect interest in the form of a legislative favor. The interest rate on that premium appears to be low these days, however, as commercial banks could face a sweeping regulatory overhaul in the coming months.

November 6, 2009 | It hasn't been three days since former Hewlett-Packard honcho Carly Fiorina formally announced she'd run for U.S. Senate in California, and already, some folks in the Republican Party are accusing her of being, well ... too moderate.

November 4, 2009 | Even members of Congress – many among the country's richest people -- aren't impervious to the nation's economic recession. Current congressional members' median wealth uncharacteristically dropped nearly 5 percent in 2008 when compared to the prior year, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal personal financial disclosure reports indicates.

November 2, 2009 | With Republican Diedre Scozzafava ending her bid in for Congress and endorsing her Democratic opponent Bill Owens, Owens and Conservative Party nominee Doug are now vying to win over Scozzafava's supporters, including those who lent financial support to her campaign.

October 29, 2009 | At least 44 lawmakers have left their congressional seats mid-term since 1990, and at least 16 of them went on to work at lobbying firms or at companies that hired lobbyists, CRP has found. Here, we take a closer look at a few of these individuals, examining which industries and clients they're now representing and the campaign cash they received while in Congress.

October 29, 2009 | BCRA IMPACTING PREZ FUND-RAISING BLITZ?: President Barack Obama has now clocked 26 fund-raisers since his inauguration. President George W. Bush, by comparison, at this point in his presidency, had logged only six fund-raising events. According to CBS' Mark Knoller, there's another dimension to the picture: In Bush's first six fundraisers, he was able to raise $48 million, while Obama has raised just $21 million over the course of the first 21 events.

October 28, 2009 | The Federal Communications Commission's decision last week to begin developing open Internet regulation has left a few big-time political donors and lobbying forces in the telecom industry wondering whether their message got lost in transmission.

October 28, 2009 | LIEBERMAN OPTS OUT OF OPT-OUT PLAN: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) didn't win any fans among liberal democrats yesterday in announcing that he'd back a Republican filibuster of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) health care reform proposal. Since 1989, only 10 other current senators have brought in more cash from the health sector than Lieberman.

October 23, 2009 | ANTI-RAPE AMENDMENT HAS LOBBYIST FOES: Defense contractors are lobbying Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) to remove or water down language from the defense appropriations bill that prohibited defense contractors from denying victims of assault or rape the ability to bring their case to court, reports Sam Stein at the Huffington Post, who also cites CRP data in his article.

October 21, 2009 | Democratic incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives that their party views as potentially vulnerable raised an average of $842,400 since January, while Republican incumbents in the House viewed as potentially threatened raised an average of $597,300, the Center for Responsive Politics has found. Furthermore, these Democratic lawmakers ended the third quarter with an average of $646,000 in cash on hand, while these Republican congressmen ended the quarter with an average of $434,300.

October 21, 2009 | MCCAIN-FEINGOLD? ZZZZZZZ. We've been waiting for weeks for an outcome to Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which could very well change the nature of federal campaign finance laws as we know them. Nothing yet. But it's given us time to ponder why federal legislation always has such b-o-r-i-n-g names. (Shays-Meehan? Sounds like some sort of chronic thyroid condition.) Congress, let's get creative.

October 15, 2009 | Politically connected ambassadors will soon represent the United States in Hungary and New Zealand. President Barack Obama has nominated philanthropist and real estate developer Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis to be ambassador to Hungary, while he nominated lawyer David Huebner to serve as the nation's top diplomat in New Zealand and Samoa. The Center for Responsive Politics has found that both Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis and Huebner have been active donors to federal politicians over the past 20 years.

October 8, 2009 | Despite a lack of support from key leaders in his own political party, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) said resolutely this week that he has no plans to resign from Congress in the face of accusations that he's deeply embroiled in an ethics scandal. But it's not just his own party's support at risk -- campaign contributors, current and former staffers and even lobbyists may be re-considering their ties to a man who once served as the GOP's primary fund-raiser in the Senate.

October 8, 2009 | IS THE HONEYMOON OVER?: Pundits this week have been speculating whether President Barack Obama has begun to lose favor among the media and are pointing to a recent Saturday Night Live skit as evidence. But Democrats have maintained financial support from NBC employees so far this year.

October 6, 2009 | As the Senate Finance Committee continues to hash out the final version of its health care reform legislation, medical-device makers are lobbying against $40 billion in fees the industry will have to pay over the next 10 years if the bill remains as is.

October 1, 2009 | The fact that the next presidential election isn't until 2012 hasn't deterred lesser-known candidates from planning vigorously, hoping valiantly and mulling over how to increase their name recognition when they have little name recognition in the first place to attract cash. They join a host of others who still technically have an active presidential fundraising committee.

October 1, 2009 | A new collaborative investigation between the Sunlight Foundation and Center for Responsive Politics shows that since January 2007, more than 500 individual lobbyists donated roughly $2.8 million to 61 members of Congress who took money from at least 10 lobbyists and also received money from their clients' PACs or employees. Among the recipients were 11 senators who sit on the Senate Finance Committee.

October 1, 2009 | A month-long collaborative investigation by the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics has uncovered never-before-seen webs of campaign contributions from outside lobbyists and their clients, who are all important players in the healthcare reform, to key members of Congress.

September 28, 2009 | "CO2 IS GREEN" FLUSH WITH GREENBACKS: The men at the helm of two new energy advocacy groups trying to derail the climate change bill in the Senate have been consistent campaign donors throughout the years.

September 17, 2009 | As the 32-team NFL begins its 2009 season, the Chargers and Texans stand among 20 clubs to donate more than $100,000 to federal political interests since the 1990 election cycle, according to the Center's analysis. Executives and employees of the league itself have also teamed together to contribute more than $322,000 during that time frame.

September 15, 2009 | In a speech to the AFL-CIO in Pittsburgh today, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), told union members that he and a group of senators are successfully compromising with labor leaders on the industry's legislative priority, the Employee Free Choice Act. Democrats have overwhelmingly received more financial support from unions, though Specter did not mention whether the legislation's key provision would be part of the deal.

September 15, 2009 | Of three ambassadorial nominees President Barack Obama announced late Friday night, two of them are major political fund-raisers, bundling more than half a million dollars for Obama's presidential campaign.

September 9, 2009 | If the Supreme Court is currently the dam blocking the flow of unlimited corporate funds used for political expenditures, today's re-hearing of the campaign finance case Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission indicated that the justices may be poised to put at least a few holes in that barricade.

September 9, 2009 | Scores of impassioned citizens flocked to the Supreme Court in the pre-dawn hours this morning to witness history -- the first appearance by Justice Sonia Sotomayor and also the re-argument of the high profile campaign finance case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

September 8, 2009 | When President Barack Obama gives his much-anticipated speech about health care Wednesday night before a joint session of Congress, he won't likely address medical malpractice reform, much to the chagrin of the country's doctors. Given that health professionals are the second largest contributor this election cycle to candidates and party committees, they might feel slighted by the president's omission.

September 8, 2009 | In the shadow of the potentially landmark campaign finance case Citizens United v. FEC, the Center for Responsive Politics examined the political giving history of Citizens United's board members. Our analysis indicates the board members behind Citizens United have frequently contributed to conservative politicians and committees, giving at least $63,000 since 1989.

September 4, 2009 | Retired pitching ace Curt Schilling -- he of the split-finger fastball, bloody World Series sock and thoughts of running for the late Ted Kennedy's vacant U.S. Senate seat -- has also teamed with his wife to toss notable amounts of cash at Republican candidates and committees, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.

September 3, 2009 | THE HONEYMOON IS OVER: It appears that Wal-Mart just can't catch a break where unions are concerned. The United Food and Commercial Workers is starting a coalition that "calls for improvements in the company's wages, health care, and environmental and labor policies," according to the Washington Post.

August 21, 2009 | O, SAY, CAN YOU TWEET: There's nary a member of Congress who isn't busy tweeting on Twitter and posting Facebook status messages. These two social networking tools are now an integral part of the campaign arsenal -- but the companies responsible for our daily dose of instant chit chat are also making some political moves of their own.

August 17, 2009 | Nearly 1,400 candidates have filed campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission, indicating that they'll be vying for one of the 468 congressional seats that will open up next year. It won't feel like a quick sprint, however, especially for those candidates in particularly close races who've already raised millions of dollars. We know the final stretch is a ways off yet, but here are our early observations, including contributions reported between April and June.

August 7, 2009 | While some lawmakers are grappling with the forged letters they received from embattled lobbying firm Bonner and Associates this summer, others might be considering their financial ties to the firm.

August 4, 2009 | One of the nation's hottest U.S. Senate contests is officially off to the races, as Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) today is officially challenging incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, a long-time Republican who switched his party allegiance to become a Democrat earlier this year.

July 23, 2009 | The Center for Responsive Politics has now provided a chart that details soft money contributions during the heady years leading up to 2002 when such donations were legal. This historical data clearly indicates how corporations and unions are willing to expend unbridaled amounts of money to influence campaigns and the political process.

July 23, 2009 | With deficit worries gripping Washington, lawmakers including House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) have proposed cutting taxpayer subsidies to private institutions that issue student loans. But groups such as Sallie Mae are spending big money in opposition to such proposals.

July 22, 2009 | The Senate narrowly voted down an amendment this afternoon that would have permitted gun owners to carry concealed firearms across state lines into states with tighter gun regulations. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and attached to a defense spending bill, rallied lawmakers who have received significant donations over their careers from gun-related issue organizations.

July 22, 2009 | Although abortion-rights opponents have given Republicans 95 percent of their $6.9 million in campaign contributions since 1989, several Democrats are among those pushing for an abortion funding ban in the health care bill. Many of the Democrats involved have collected money from pro-life groups but not pro-choice organizations, the CRP has found.

July 20, 2009 | When the U.S. Supreme Court examines the big campaign finance regulation case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission later this fall, both sides will have lawyers with histories of personally contributing to federal elections making their cases.

July 17, 2009 | House and Senate leaders last week named 10 members to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, a bipartisan panel that Congress created in May to investigate the causes of last year's financial crisis. The selections include businessmen, ex-lawmakers, and academics who have together donated more than $1 million to federal candidates since 198

July 15, 2009 | Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, who opposed a version of health care reform that the panel passed today, have on average received more money from the industries fighting against the measure's public health plan component than those who voted "yes."

July 10, 2009 | At least one member of Congress -- Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) -- this week weighed in on whether telecom companies are violating anti-trust laws. Kohl sent a letter to various agencies asking them to investigate whether big wireless companies are engaged in anti-competitive practices. Unlike many other lawmakers, however, Kohl, does not rely on telecoms to fill his campaign coffers.

July 9, 2009 | Over the past three weeks, Capital Eye has contacted members of five Capitol Hill committees responsible for drafting health care reform legislation this summer. Here are their responses (and non-responses) and the money they're collecting from various industries.

July 9, 2009 | Interest groups have filled lawmakers' campaign coffers with cash, and spent millions on lobbyists to promote their positions. So it's not entirely surprising that some lawmakers can't make up their minds on health care reform. Here are a handful of examples of members of the Senate, who have tried to position themselves on multiple sides of the health care debate.

July 7, 2009 | Richard Ianieri, the defense contractor charged today with accepting $200,000 in kickbacks from a subcontractor, was the president of a company that gave more money to Rep. John Murtha (D-Penn.) than any other lawmaker--including the years after Ianieri left Coherent Systems International and Argon ST bought it.

July 2, 2009 | As chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, Karen Ignagni has emerged as a central figure in the debate over health care reform. And like many other registered lobbyists, Ignagni has extended her influence and connections by opening her wallet to political candidates.

July 1, 2009 | President Obama's fifth consecutive week of naming new ambassadors brought with it five people with long histories of donating campaign cash, including two donors who also bundled more than half a million dollars each for the president's campaign war chest.

July 1, 2009 | Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is an OB-GYN who has delivered more than 4,000 babies. Since 1995, he has also collected $1.1 million from the health sector as he advocates for market-based reforms for health care.

June 25, 2009 | ABC employees have favored Obama with their campaign cash. The big caveat? These sums are not just from the news division, and employees of the network's entertainment divisions fueled such giving.

June 25, 2009 | Here's a cool tool that brings together data from various parts of OpenSecrets.org to show how much money each current lawmaker has raised from various health-related industries and the health sector overall since 1989 (including President Obama's haul).

June 22, 2009 | As the White House and Congress propose new financial regulations in the wake of the recession, the hedge fund industry is stepping up its lobbying efforts. This morning's Wall Street Journal (subscription only) cites CRP data detailing hedge funds' political spending this year--$1.6 million in the 1st Quarter of 2009 on lobbying--as pro-regulation Democrats have assumed control over both Congress and the White House.

June 18, 2009 | Recently fired AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin has donated $8,650 to Republican candidates and $1,500 to Democrats since 1990. Former NBA star and Democratic mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson, whom Walpin was investigating before getting canned, has contributed at least $6,400 to federal candidates since 1996.

June 18, 2009 | The latest batch of picks for U.S. ambassadorships–along with their spouses and children–have contributed at least $637,800 to federal candidates, parties and committees since 1989, including $32,775 to Obama himself. These people also brought in at least $1.1 million for Obama's presidential bid as bundlers.

June 11, 2009 | Although the Obama administration and a Democratic-controlled Congress now own a majority stake of General Motors, the retired executive appointed yesterday to be the company's new CEO, Edward E. Whitacre, Jr., is a veteran Republican fundraiser.

June 10, 2009 | Although the economy didn't show many signs of improvement in the first few months of 2009, Democrats were benefiting more from Wall Street than they had in any previous cycle, pulling in 58 percent of all contributions that the finance, insurance and real estate sector gave between January and March.

June 5, 2009 | With debate raging on the Internet about whether President Obama is targeting certain Chrysler dealerships for closure, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics took a closer look at the numbers behind the donations of all domestic automobile dealers and found they have a history of favoring Republicans with their contributions.

June 3, 2009 | Citing data from the Center for Responsive Politics, the Women's Campaign Forum Foundation released a report yesterday highlighting the persistent disparity between male and female political spending.

March 24, 2009 | If the nine justices of the Supreme Court had already made up their minds about whether a 90-minute film about a candidate for federal office should be subject to the same campaign contribution limits and disclosure requirements as a 30-second ad, they didn't show it Tuesday morning. But their decision in the case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, could impact how corporations, unions and ideological groups fund their political messages.

March 23, 2009 | The Supreme Court tomorrow will tackle a question that pits First Amendment freedom of speech rights against congressional efforts to limit the influence of special interests that have millions of dollars to spend on speech. Capital Eye will cover Tuesday's oral argument, but for now, here's a synopsis of the case.

March 19, 2009 | Happy Sunshine Week! In observance of the national government transparency initiative, CRP offers this money-in-politics disclosure report card, grading the federal government on its efforts to shed some light on the ties between its decisions and the private money affecting those decisions. Although the government has made strides in a few key areas since Sunshine Week 2008, it still has a whole lot of homework to do.

March 16, 2009 | As long as everyone's talking today about AIG's payouts to its executives and foreign banks, let's remember the payouts AIG has made over the years to politicians. In the last 20 years American International Group (AIG) has contributed more than $9 million to federal candidates and parties through PAC and individual contributions.

March 10, 2009 | For months business groups and labor unions have been campaigning for or against the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that was introduced in Congress just today and that has spurred what will be one of the fiercest--and most expensive--debates Capitol Hill has seen in years. Capital Eye recently explored the political spending strategies both adversaries have been implementing in preparation for today's bill and provide some highlights of that report here.

February 26, 2009 | President Obama's Tuesday address to Congress was entirely about jump-starting the economy, but he didn't even hint at a looming legislative battle between business and labor that both sides say could affect how quickly the country recovers. The two longtime adversaries may have different political strategies, but both sides have already spent plenty of cash trying to persuade lawmakers to side with them.

February 25, 2009 | Since August 2008, when the economic crisis started making headlines and companies began asking lawmakers for some financial help in the form of billions of dollars, CRP has been taking a look at the political influence of companies and industries looking for a government lifeline. This archive contains what we've produced as we follow the money behind the Wall Street shakeout and the government's attempts to jump-start the economy.

February 24, 2009 | When President Obama addresses the nation tonight in a State of the Union fashion, it won't just be Congress and members of the public tuning in. Special interests, too, will be paying close attention to what the president has to say about upcoming plans that could affect them. Capital Eye takes a look at the key issues Obama is likely to discuss--and the industries, sectors and groups that will be listening closely to his message.

February 19, 2009 | Swiss bank UBS AG agreed today to pay $780 million to settle claims by the U.S. Department of Treasury that it helped American customers evade paying taxes by hiding their Swiss bank accounts from U.S. tax authorities. But that's not the only help that UBS has provided Americans. In the 2008 election cycle, the foreign bank contributed $3.1 million to federal candidates, parties and PACs.

February 18, 2009 | As the story behind the embattled investment company Stanford Financial Group develops, we thought we'd take an even closer look at the seeds the company may have tried to plant in Washington via campaign contributions. When looking at ALL lawmakers to collect money from the company's PAC and employees (not just members of the current Congress), some additional, important names appear at the top of the recipient list.

February 17, 2009 | Money manager Robert Allen Stanford now has two things in common with embattled investment manager Bernard Madoff: both have come under scrutiny for allegedly defrauding their investors, and both have given significant funds to politicians. Between its PAC and its employees, Stanford Financial Group has given $2.4 million to federal candidates, parties and committees since 2000.

February 12, 2009 | The close ties between Rep. John Murtha and a Washington lobbying firm raided by the FBI have put the powerful Pennsylvania Democrat under greater scrutiny. The lobbyists at PMA Group have been Murtha's fifth most generous campaign donor over time, but he is just one of 284 members of the 111th Congress who have collected money from the firm, which specializes in securing federal earmarks for its clients. In total, PMA Group's employees and its political action committee have given current members of Congress $3.4 million since 1989.

January 26, 2009 | Although it's unclear to what extent businessman Raghuveer Nayak was involved in Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged scheme to sell President Obama's Senate seat, what is clear is Nayak's commitment to funding the campaigns of the governor, the new president, the new vice president and others in Congress and the administration.

January 5, 2009 | Putting aside whatever involvement New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had in an alleged "pay-to-play" scheme in his home state, his future as U.S. commerce secretary is now a casualty of an ongoing federal investigation into a company that has funded the former presidential candidate's state-level political committees. While no other incoming federal lawmaker or Cabinet member is said to be under investigation, others have certainly seen their campaign efforts propped up by the embattled company. Capital Eye lists those recipients here.

December 16, 2008 | Barack Obama seems poised to appoint Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) to the position of Secretary of the Interior, following a tradition of giving the post to a leader from one of the Western states, where natural resources and land use are prominent policy issues. In this role, Salazar, who has collected a total of $321,800 from the energy and natural resources sector during his short time in the Senate, will oversee the Bureau of Land Management.

December 11, 2008 | House Democrats voting to bail out Detroit's Big Three have collected 44 percent more money, on average, from auto manufacturers, dealers and unions than Democratic opponents of the bill. Republican supporters have collected 62 percent more than opponents in their party.

December 10, 2008 | Weeks before they turned to the federal government for rescue, companies such as AIG, Ford, Citigroup and Freddie Mac were among the biggest sponsors of the summertime political conventions that nominated Barack Obama and John McCain for president, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, in collaboration with the Campaign Finance Institute.

December 5, 2008 | The numbers from the final weeks before Election Day are in, and although Barack Obama had a distinct financial advantage over John McCain from the get-go, the two were on a more even keel in as they raced toward Nov. 4.

November 21, 2008 | The surge of activity in the nation's capital to revive the country's economy apparently hasn't caused a torrent of lobbying funds by the insurance companies, investment banks, mortgage companies and savings and loans central to the government's actions. While unions, companies and organizations across all industries increased their lobbying expenditures 2 percent in the 3rd Quarter of this year compared to the first three months of 2008, the finance, insurance and real estate sector apparently scaled back, decreasing its spending by 9 percent.

November 14, 2008 | The five hedge fund managers who testified Thursday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are more likely to find friends among Democrats, who have received 65 percent of the total $14.2 million the unregulated industry has given this election cycle to federal candidates, committees and parties.

November 13, 2008 | The hundreds of millions of dollars that Barack Obama raised for his presidential campaign would seem to make him a perfect target for a full audit to account for the legality of every dollar he raised and spent. Yet, in part because Obama raised so much, the Federal Election Commission isn't likely to investigate.

November 6, 2008 | Already being called America's first "tech president," Barack Obama was the clear favorite during the campaign of those who work in technology. Employees of the computer and Internet industry contributed five times as much to Obama's presidential campaign than to Republican opponent John McCain, $7.3 million to $1.4 million.

November 5, 2008 | The historic election of 2008 re-confirmed one truism about American democracy: Money wins elections. From the top of the ticket, where Barack Obama declined public financing for the first time since the system's creation and went on to amass a nearly two-to-one monetary advantage over John McCain, to congressional races throughout the nation, the candidate with the most money going into Election Day emerged victorious in nearly every contest.

November 3, 2008 | At the request of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Center for Responsive Politics conducted a study of donations from employees of the nation's 25 wealthiest foundations and 75 of the largest charities and found these individuals give overwhelmingly to Democrats. Out of $1.2 million contributed from January 2007 through August 2008, 88 percent went to Democrats.

October 30, 2008 | Widely perceived to be one of the nation's biggest challenges, health care reform will be at the top of the next administration's agenda, and a battle over proposed changes is certain. For the past 15 years, the health sector, which is already gearing up for next year's fight, has given more money to Republicans than Democrats. But with Democrats in control of Congress-and likely to pick up a few more seats next week-the tide is turning.

October 29, 2008 | When big-time political donors want to write a single check to cover the candidate and party of their choice, their best option is joint fundraising committees, formed specifically for that purpose. Now you can access information about each presidential candidate's JFC on CRP's new joint fundraising committees page.

October 23, 2008 | 2008 appears to be the first race in recent presidential elections where there is a clear partisan preference among campaign contributors who work in the federal government, as well as in state and municipal government--and even a distinct preference within major federal agencies, including the high-profile departments of Justice and Defense. Barack Obama has collected nearly three times more than John McCain from civil servants and public officials ranging from U.S. attorneys to small-town mayors.

October 21, 2008 | Looking for more ways to prove their party's transparency and question Sen. Barack Obama's commitment to full disclosure, the Republican National Committee launched a new website today with a searchable database of unitemized RNC donors from the time Sen. John McCain became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

October 20, 2008 | In one single month, Barack Obama raised nearly half of what John Kerry raised for his presidential bid in the entire 2004 election cycle. Over the weekend Obama's campaign announced he raised $150 million in September alone, shattering the $66 million single-month record (also his own) and re-shaping the perception of the fundraising potential for a presidential candidate in the Internet age.

October 17, 2008 | Some of the most interesting dollars to follow since the start of this election cycle have been those given by donors in the military, who have preferred anti-war candidate Barack Obama over hawkish John McCain from the start. But a surge of funds to McCain, a Vietnam War prisoner, in the final months that he was able to accept private contributions, moved him into the lead.

October 16, 2008 | Verizon and AT&T don't seem to be having any trouble establishing a connection with John McCain. In addition to contributing at least $237,600 to McCain's presidential bid, the telephone utilities have boosted the Republican's cell phone reception on his 15-acre ranch in Arizona, free of charge, according to the Washington Post.

October 16, 2008 | An economic recession is looking increasingly likely, but the personal finances of members of Congress suggest they will be able to withstand the slowdown far better than most Americans, according to a new analysis of lawmakers' latest personal financial reports by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

October 14, 2008 | As the Democrats stand to make substantial gains in both the House and Senate on November 4th, the pharmaceutical industry appears to be following the power. Since the 2006 election cycle, donations from the drug industry have shifted starkly from favoring Republicans to reflecting parity among the parties. So far in this election cycle, Democrats and Republicans have received nearly equal shares of pharma money, 49 percent and 51 percent respectively.

October 14, 2008 | Campaign finance reform group Democracy 21 filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission last week alleging that the American Issues Project (AIP), a pro-Republican group, and the American Leadership Project (ALP), a pro-Democratic group, broke campaign finance rules by not registering as political action committees, which are subject to contribution limits and reporting requirements.

October 3, 2008 | The finance, insurance and real estate sector has contributed twice as much money to senators who supported bailing out the struggling sector this week than those who opposed emergency legislation, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has calculated following the 74-25 Senate vote Wednesday night that sent the bill to the House of Representatives for passage this afternoon.

September 30, 2008 | Registered lobbyists aren't just getting the attention of lawmakers while on the job. Like any other member of the public, they, too, are able to contribute up to the maximum amount per election to candidates of their choice. The Center for Responsive Politics has identified the congressional races with candidates who are receiving the most money from registered lobbyists.

September 29, 2008 | Members of the House of Representatives who supported bailing out the financial sector with $700 billion in taxpayer money have received 51 percent more in campaign contributions from the finance, insurance and real estate sector in their congressional careers than those who opposed the emergency legislation, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics calculated following the 228-205 vote on Monday that defeated the House bill.

September 29, 2008 | Barack Obama defended his decision not to accept public financing by arguing that running a campaign for the White House based on small contributions accomplishes what the public financing system aims to do but falls short of doing: curb the influence of outside interest groups. In many congressional races, the issue of who's backing the candidate--wealthy donors or everyone else--is finding its way into debates over the best way to fix the economy and whether campaign contributions and lobbying by the financial sector had anything to do with today's economic crisis. Capital Eye takes a closer look at some of these races.

September 24, 2008 | With few exceptions, incumbents will out-raise their challengers--so far this election cycle, incumbents for Congress have raised nine times more than their challengers, on average, and there is not a single Senate race where the challenger has raised more money than the sitting senator. Although challengers aren't winning the money race on the Senate side, the Center for Responsive Politics has identified 14 House races where the challenger surpassed the incumbent in fundraising after the most recent reporting period, through June.

September 24, 2008 | It's the presidential eclipse: Every four years, media coverage about all angles of the race for the White House (significant or not) overshadows all but a handful of too-close-to-call congressional races. Yet, in the midst of an economic meltdown, record gas prices and a five-year war, there's no question that citizens care about who represents them in Congress, not just who moves into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. While other political analysts focus on the most competitive congressional races, Capital Eye will spend the next week profiling contests with an interesting fundraising angle--even those where the winner is pretty easy to predict.

September 23, 2008 | The last time Congress seriously debated how to regulate the financial industry, the result was legislation that allowed the nation's largest banks to get even larger and take risks that had been prohibited since the Great Depression. A look back at that debate, which was over the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act, reveals that campaign contributions may have influenced the votes of politicians who, a decade later, are now grappling with the implosion of the giant banks they helped to foster.

September 22, 2008 | As lawmakers were scrambling to crunch numbers related to the economy over the weekend, the presidential candidates were preoccupied with financial numbers of another type-midnight on Saturday was the deadline for the presidential hopefuls to report their August fundraising totals. Barack Obama reported a record $64.6 million, while John McCain raised his own personal best at $55.9 million (including money to his compliance committee, established to help him navigate the public financing system).

September 18, 2008 | How did Wall Street's largest firms also become some of the largest donors to John McCain and Barack Obama's presidential campaigns? Take a look at the candidates' rosters of bundlers on OpenSecrets.org, and it becomes clear.

September 17, 2008 | The Federal Reserve announced today that it's coming to the rescue of American International Group (AIG) to the tune of $85 billion. The nation's largest insurer, which asked the Fed for emergency funding in the midst of financial hardships, hasn't had trouble over the years giving money to lawmakers, however. AIG is on CRP's Heavy Hitters list that profiles the 100 all-time contributors to federal candidates and committees.

September 16, 2008 | While other members of Congress rush to dump contributions from a California billionaire who has pleaded guilty in a massive stock fraud case, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) say they plan to keep thousands of dollars they received from the man, Henry Samueli, according to Politico. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has found that Samueli and his wife, Susan, have given more than $250,000 to federal candidates and committees since the 2000 election cycle.

September 15, 2008 | Wall Street's grim news has plenty of people worried about their pocketbooks. Lawmakers are among them, not only concerned with how to boost the economy but with their own personal finances tied to companies that are struggling. The richest members of Congress seem to be the most invested in the companies at the center of the Wall Street shake-up.

September 15, 2008 | The polls are putting John McCain and Barack Obama neck-and-neck, but as far as the money race is concerned, Obama has managed to maintain his strong lead. The Democrat's campaign is reporting a $66 million haul for August, $11 million more than he raised in February, which previously was his record month. According to the Washington Post, Obama attracted more than half a million new financial supporters.

September 12, 2008 | Uncle Sam bailed out Freddie Mac and the company's twin sister, Fannie Mae, this week, and the next in line in the Wall Street family to get a helping hand might just be Lehman Brothers. Executives at the struggling investment bank are looking to sell the company with assistance from the government--and fast--as its stock plunges. Although the government isn't expected to completely bail out Lehman Brothers, the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank, the company has built a strong financial relationship with politicians over the years and coincidentally ranks fourth in the largest contributors in the race for the White House.

September 11, 2008 | When the federal government announced two months ago that it would be seizing mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, CRP looked at how much money members of Congress had collected since 1989 from the companies. On Sunday the government proceeded with the takeover and we've returned to our data to bring you the updates, this time providing a list of all 354 lawmakers who have gotten money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (in July we posted the top 25).

September 10, 2008 | Now that the federal government has bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from their impending financial doom, Congress has an even greater interest in seeing the giant mortgage buyers succeed-some lawmakers perhaps more than others. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 28 lawmakers had between $598,100 and $1.7 million of their own money invested in the two companies last year.

September 8, 2008 | As economists and analysts try to sort out how giant mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ended up needing to be bailed out by the federal government this past weekend, here at CRP we can see part of the picture of why that solution won out over others. Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are prolific political players, pouring millions of dollars into campaign contributions and lobbying, efforts that have resulted in keeping the two companies afloat as more Americans have defaulted on their mortgages.

September 4, 2008 | Republicans descended on the Midwest for their convention this week, promoting John McCain's credentials, introducing vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and hoping to win the support of the region's voters come November. If money determined the winner in each state, McCain would take Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, North Dakota, Nebraska and South Dakota. He wouldn't, however, manage to win Minnesota, which hosted the Republican National Convention this week, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois or Missouri.

September 3, 2008 | Preparing for a general election in which he cannot collect private donations, John McCain vaulted in front of Barack Obama in fundraising from one of the biggest groups of donors in American politics: the senior set. A new analysis of the Republican nominee's summer fundraising by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has found McCain leading Obama among retired donors almost two to one in June and July, $8.1 million to $4.5 million.

September 3, 2008 | Individuals at a law firm founded by Charles H. Keating, Jr., who symbolized how political influence contributed to the collapse of savings and loans in the 1980s, have bundled at least $50,000 to John McCain's presidential campaign since June, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has calculated, making the Cincinnati-based firm McCain's sixth-largest contributor during that period.

September 2, 2008 | Whether it's political posturing or out of the goodness of their hearts, both presidential candidates are responding to Hurricane Gustav's havoc along the Gulf Coast--John McCain by curtailing the opening of this week's Republican National Convention and Barack Obama by asking supporters to donate money to the Red Cross. In the wake of such natural disasters, insurance companies, too, play politics, and this election cycle is no exception, with both presidential candidates collecting money from the industry.

September 2, 2008 | Alaska's well-known "Bridge to Nowhere" is among the most criticized federal earmarked projects, cancelled last year by the state's governor and John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin. Palin, however, has brought home her own share of pork, according to an examination by Taxpayers for Common Sense that was reported in the Washington Post.

August 29, 2008 | John McCain surprised political pundits this morning by inviting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to join him on the Republican ticket. Because Palin's political career is relatively new (she was mayor of Wasilla, an Anchorage suburb, and became governor after the 2006 election), there's little information available in the way of a campaign finance profile. But at the Center for Responsive Politics, we've strung together these observations about Palin's campaign fundraising and money --- and money-related scandal -- in Alaska politics.

August 29, 2008 | One of the more crowd-pleasing lines delivered at the Democratic convention's Thursday night session came from a former Republican from Indiana named Barney Smith, who said, "We need a president who puts the Barney Smiths before the Smith Barneys." Before assuming that either presidential candidate won't defer to Wall Street, Mr. Smith might want to take a look at OpenSecrets.org.

August 28, 2008 | Republicans have their compasses set toward the North Star State, where they will be convening next week for their national convention. Although Minnesota residents haven't favored a Republican president since 1972, the last two presidential elections have been close, and John McCain and Barack Obama are neck-and-neck in fundraising from the state (Obama has raised a mere $233,000 more, out of $3.7 million raised by the two contenders), indicating that McCain might not have as much to overcome here as previous Republicans have.

August 26, 2008 | Barack Obama is a far way from home this week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Despite being in a big city, he is in the center of a region dominated by ranching, farming and a rural way of life. Both Obama and John McCain will be fighting to win the hearts of voters living in the Western states, where the presidential race appears to be the closest. If money were the only predictor, McCain would walk away with some major wins in this region of the country.

August 26, 2008 | While school was out, college professors and other educators were putting money into Barack Obama's presidential campaign, according to a new analysis of the Democratic nominee's summer fundraising. Educators contributed at least $2.3 million to his campaign in June and July, surpassed only by lawyers, who make up Obama's top-giving industry since the campaign's start, and retirees.

August 25, 2008 | The Center for Responsive Politics is pleased to announce that Cassie Fleming, a rising senior at the University of Nebraska, is the winner of OpenSecrets.org's first Citizen Journalism Contest. Read her winning essay on this topic: "How have campaign contributions and lobbying efforts influenced policy on an issue you care about?"

August 25, 2008 | You could hold a presidential nominating convention with just the delegates, but you couldn't finance a presidential campaign without the bundlers. So, these uber-fundraisers are also in attendance at the conventions in Denver and St. Paul, and they are enjoying special perks for delivering hundreds of thousands of dollars to their candidate's coffers. Bundlers are now listed for both Obama and McCain in OpenSecrets.org's presidential section.

August 22, 2008 | t's not only John McCain who's foggy on how many houses he owns. His staff has said four, Barack Obama's campaign (which has used the comment to make McCain seem disconnected from the average American, and confused) has said seven and media reports have put the number at eight...or more. The truth is...it's hard to tell based on McCain's annual personal financial disclosures.

August 21, 2008 | John McCain caught a break today after the Federal Election Commission voted unanimously to let his campaign out of the public financing system for the primary contest. Months ago the Democratic National Committee accused McCain of using the possibility of the funds to secure a bank loan and then illegally withdrawing from the system after his campaign's finances improved.

August 20, 2008 | United States passports don't just get humans over the border--they're also the currency needed to move, well, currency into American politics. Although presidential candidates are prohibited from receiving contributions from individuals who aren't American citizens (or don't have green cards), the Associated Press has found that some foreign contributions have made their way into Barack Obama's coffers.

August 20, 2008 | In some ways, it's advantageous for John McCain to point out the ways he differs with the current president. But, financially, McCain's differences with President Bush haven't entirely helped him. Bloomberg used data from CRP recently to analyze the industries that played a pivotal role in financing Bush's re-election race in 2004 but that are backing Barack Obama this time around.

August 20, 2008 | The Democratic convention will get underway next week in a state that has gone from red to a light shade of purple in the last few years. The changes are afoot across the board--in the statehouse with a Democrat-controlled legislature and Democratic governor, in the congressional battles that are transforming the "Centennial State" into a bellwether state and in the money Colorado residents are spending to send their candidates of choice to Capitol Hill and the White House.

August 19, 2008 | John McCain seems to be getting a taste of his own medicine. For years the Arizona senator has opposed measures that would benefit major pharmaceutical manufacturers, and now the industry, which traditionally supports Republican candidates for president, is injecting Barack Obama's campaign with cash instead. Bloomberg today used data from the Center for Responsive Politics to analyze the industry's apparent shift in this presidential race.

August 14, 2008 | Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain's haul.

August 7, 2008 | Coal and nuclear power are the biggest sources of electricity in the U.S., accounting for roughly 70 percent of the nation's electricity. While producers of both sources believe that the country needs a well-balanced fuel portfolio, both industries are seeking an advantage by spending their fair share on campaign contributions and lobbying this election cycle, reminding those in Congress of their integral role in keeping the lights on.

August 7, 2008 | The recently redesigned OpenSecrets.org reached a milestone this week: 1,000 people have signed up for personalized MyOpenSecrets profiles, which allow you to "watchdog what you want" and have the information waiting for you every time you visit the site. Here at the Center for Responsive Politics we're delighted that so many people are taking advantage of this new feature we launched in May.

August 7, 2008 | Much has been made of Barack Obama's TV ad this week that accuses John McCain of being "in the pocket" of the oil industry, and yesterday the Democratic Party launched a website pairing McCain and Exxon Mobil as running-mates. While McCain has raised considerably more money from this unpopular industry, CRP was surprised to notice that it's actually Obama who has received more from the pockets of employees at several of Big Oil's biggest and most recognizable companies.

August 4, 2008 | Wal-Mart has denied the Wall Street Journal's claim that the retailer told its managers to vote for Republicans, pointing to its political action committee--which has split its contributions between the two parties this election cycle--as evidence of its bipartisan nature. But this year the Big Box retailer has given more to Democrats than ever before.

August 4, 2008 | Here in the Center's press shop, we've fielded a lot of calls today from reporters wondering where Barack Obama's campaign is getting the numbers to back up its latest charge against John McCain: that the Republican is "in the pocket" of the oil industry because his campaign has taken $2 million from it. The TV ad that makes that claim started airing today, and in tiny print it cites as its data source the Center for Responsive Politics.

August 1, 2008 | This week we’ve updated our profiles of members of Congress and congressional races based on data we downloaded from the Federal Election Commission on July 28–total raised, spent, cash on hand and expenditures, and all geographic data. In addition, we’ve updated our 2008 election overview and PAC profiles. We’ve also updated the summary data…

July 31, 2008 | Long in the shadow of traditional energy sources, alternative energy has come into the spotlight as a potential energy crisis looms. For some producers of alternative energy sources, this is the perfect time to promote their legislative wish list--and spend more money than they ever have before to do it. Others are considering the new push as just hype in the on-again, off-again quest for renewable energy.

July 31, 2008 | Put John McCain's name into Google, and you'll see millions of hits that the Republican nominee will likely never see himself. He won't be spending any money on a Blackberry anytime soon, but that doesn't mean technology companies aren't spending any money on him.

July 30, 2008 | The Center for Responsive Politics lists all of the current members of Congress who have gotten money from the candidate committee or leadership PAC of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury as part of a wide-ranging investigation of corruption in Alaska politics. Now some lawmakers are quickly giving the money away to distance themselves from the embattled senator.

July 30, 2008 | Soon there will be more light in Congress's lobby, as lobbyists file their first-ever reports detailing their campaign contributions to lawmakers. The reports are required by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007.

July 30, 2008 | If you follow this blog closely, you know that the Center for Responsive Politics and seven other watchdog groups asked John McCain and Barack Obama to disclose more information to the public about two segments of their fundraising bases: their "bundlers" and their small donors. McCain responded to us; Obama hasn't. We've now created a handy comparison to measure both candidates on donor disclosure, and we shared it with them today.

July 25, 2008 | T. Boone Pickens was born into oil. With a father who worked as an oil and mineral rights leaser and a mother who rationed gasoline during World War II, it's hardly a surprise that Pickens became an oilman himself. But this CEO of energy hedge fund BP Capital Management is now turning to wind power instead, despite his longtime support--both spoken and financial--for Republican candidates, including fellow Texas oilman George W. Bush.

July 24, 2008 | Producers of corn-based ethanol have had a strong relationship with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. But as the price of corn and other foods go up and the pitfalls of such ethanol become more pronounced, an array of next-generation biofuels have hit the scene, all grappling for government funding and feuding among themselves.

July 24, 2008 | The long and winding road to work has become more costly than ever before, but it's also forcing drivers to explore other ways of getting around. From bikes to buses, Americans are starting to spend more time using other modes of transportation instead of in their gas-guzzling cars. These alternative industries, which may have been largely ignored in the past, are getting a greater deal of attention from consumers at home, as well as from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

July 24, 2008 | Oregon venture capitalist Craig Berkman owes his investors $28 million in civil damages for misappropriating their money. The investors, however, haven't yet received his cash-but lawmakers, including presidential candidate John McCain, have. And if other politicians follow McCain's lead, they'll be dumping Berkman's tainted political contributions as soon as they can.

July 21, 2008 | Having served 38 years in the House, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) has accomplished quite a bit. This election cycle is no exception, receiving more money than any other member of Congress from seven different industries. Lately, however, Rangel's methods of raising money have been questioned.

July 17, 2008 | Like a gas tank hungry for cheap fuel, Americans are yearning for an energy policy from their next president. But various industries and interests, from oil companies to agriculture and environmental groups, also have a serious stake in the next president's energy policy, and are showing it with campaign contributions and lobbying efforts.

July 17, 2008 | Now that the Federal Election Commission is back in business, the commissioners have approved matching some of the money raised by six presidential candidates during their primary campaigns.

July 17, 2008 | After hearing that John McCain broke his own monthly fundraising record in June, Barack Obama's campaign couldn't contain its own news that the Democratic contender raised twice McCain's June total. Obama hauled in $52 million last month, collecting twice his own May total, in addition to besting McCain.

July 15, 2008 | John McCain's campaign has updated, and improved, the online roster of hundreds of individuals who are helping the Republican nominee-to-be raise money -- the folks we refer to as "bundlers."

July 11, 2008 | This morning the Center for Responsive Politics and seven other watchdog groups received a response from John McCain's campaign to our June 25th letter asking for greater transparency of the campaign's donors. We still haven't heard from Barack Obama's campaign.

July 11, 2008 | Unless Barack Obama collected more in June than he did in May, John McCain has started to give the Democrat a run for his money. McCain's campaign has reported raising more than $22 million in June, breaking his own monthly fundraising record.

July 8, 2008 | Hillary Clinton's endorsement of Barack Obama last month may not have been enough to win over some of her biggest donors. It seems Obama is struggling to gain favor with Clinton's financial supporters, while Republican John McCain is having some luck with them.

July 8, 2008 | Welcome to the wild, wild West, where the high noon showdown between presidential candidates will cost more than $1 billion. Good Magazine has used data from CRP to put together this video on its website, portraying John McCain and Barack Obama (as well as Hillary Clinton) as bandits who "need to stick up whoever they can for cash" in order to pay for their campaign.

July 7, 2008 | The fireworks might be tucked away now until the next Fourth of July, but here at CRP we continue to illuminate the money-in-politics scene all year round. Just in the last few days we've been busy updating various parts of OpenSecrets.org using data available from the Federal Election Commission on June 30.

July 3, 2008 | Tomorrow is Independence Day, the time to commemorate the United States's successful revolt against Britain, establishing our own self-reliant government. Well, sort of. While our politicians are no longer answering to the redcoats, they've become awfully beholden to the greenbacks. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 36 current members of Congress have collected at least 20 percent of their contributions from a single industry, setting up a scheme of dependence and perhaps the expectation of a tit-for-tat.

July 3, 2008 | Considering how Americans celebrate their independence and patriotism with fireworks and sparklers, it's no surprise that our country's politicians often buy fireworks for events on the campaign trail. This is hardly a one-way street, however, as the fireworks industry invests in lawmakers through campaign contributions and lobbying efforts, as well.

July 2, 2008 | The Sunshine State is planning to buy out the U.S. Sugar Corp. for the hefty price of $1.75 billion, and give the 187,000 acres of land currently inhabited by sugar cane back to the alligators and pelicans of the Florida Everglades. But this isn't the first time that money has passed between government and the sugar industry.

July 1, 2008 | It appears that being the candidate of change doesn't necessarily mean appealing to a new set of donors. New York Times columnist David Brooks used extensive data from the Center for Responsive Politics today to argue that Barack Obama's fundraising base looks a whole lot like those of Democrats past and present.

June 26, 2008 | Just when the rest of us are taking off for summer vacations, the Federal Election Commission is getting back to work. The five new commissioners confirmed by the Senate this week now constitute a full quorum.

June 26, 2008 | The marriage vow "for richer or poorer" is more than a promise between two people when one of those people is a member of Congress. When lawmakers and their spouses utter those words, they're agreeing to reveal to the world the scope of how rich or poor they may be.

June 25, 2008 | Eight government watchdog organizations today urged Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain to reveal more details about fundraisers for their presidential campaigns who "bundle" contributions in amounts greatly exceeding what they're permitted to contribute on their own, and to furnish additional data about their small donors.

June 24, 2008 | $84 million, or what the government has available to hand out to both the Republican and Democratic nominees for president, is more money than most people will ever see in their lifetimes, making some wonder why it's not enough for Barack Obama to run his campaign.

June 23, 2008 | You've heard of RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) and now here come the DINOs-you guessed it, Democrats in Name Only. Trying to court independent voters and conservative Democrats, Republican John McCain last week put out a list of what he called "prominent Democratic and unaffiliated leaders and activists" who are supporting his bid for president.

June 23, 2008 | As the field of competitors for the Republican and Democratic nominations has narrowed, the money haul has continued to expand, putting the total raised through the end of May at more than $1 billion--already the most ever raised by candidates in a presidential election.

June 23, 2008 | Even as Wall Street remains in a slump, Goldman Sachs, the world's largest investment bank, is no stranger to being on top. Not only did it bring in a profit of $2.1 billion last quarter, it is the top campaign contributor in the securities and investment industry so far this election cycle.

June 20, 2008 | John McCain's campaign must have been eager to share the good news--one day before the presidential campaign finance reports were due, the presumptive Republican candidate officially disclosed that May was his most successful fundraising month.

June 20, 2008 | Two of Washington's most influential lobbying firms have taken a hint (or maybe a hit) from the presumptive presidential nominees' anti-lobbyist mantra and won't be involved in this summer's presidential nominating conventions.

June 19, 2008 | Barack Obama told supporters this morning that he'll be forgoing more than $80 million in public funds for the general election, making him the first major party nominee to reject the taxpayers' grant since the program began in 1976.

June 19, 2008 | While presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain survey the political landscape for running-mate options, they have also found time to pick apart each other's search committee, criticizing the members' links to special interests.

June 16, 2008 | Republican party committees are currently collecting more overall than their Democratic counterparts, but the traditional money gap between the two is closing, according to a new report from the Federal Election Commission.

June 16, 2008 | John McCain's military experience is hardly gaining him a financial edge from defense contractors, whose campaign contributions to the presumptive Republican presidential candidate are only about $4,000 more than those given to his likely Democratic challenger, Barack Obama, who has no military experience.

June 11, 2008 | Most women will say that being a homemaker is a rewarding job, even though they don't earn any money from it. Campaign finance reports, however, make the important work look surprisingly lucrative.

June 5, 2008 | Now that the Democrats have a presidential nominee who refuses contributions from lobbyists and political action committees, the Democratic National Committee is bringing its own fundraising policies in line with Barack Obama's.

June 3, 2008 | For an organization that doesn't make campaign contributions, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is remarkably influential in U.S. politics, which explains why the presidential candidates are all speaking this week to 7,000 pro-Israel activists at the organization's annual meeting in Washington.

June 2, 2008 | The separation of church and state has never been as obvious as it has this election cycle. That is to say, the presidential candidates are strategically separating church and state only when they feel it's a politically smart move for them-and that's been often in the last few months.

May 30, 2008 | The White House's new resident in January is going to have one heck of a complex economic mess to deal with. If that person is John McCain, he'll be there in part because of the hard work of a man whom economists are blaming for the crippling subprime meltdown.

May 29, 2008 | Maybe it's just poor reception, but nobody seems to be able to understand exactly where John McCain stands on providing immunity to the major telecommunications companies for cooperating with the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program.

May 28, 2008 | John McCain has come under a lot of fire recently for hiring lobbyists to run his presidential campaign and now, in an effort to preserve his image as a crusader against special interests, the presumptive Republican nominee is trying to rid his staff of them. The press, however, is asking whether his vetting process is actually going to do the job.

May 22, 2008 | On 19 of the 30 days in April, Barack Obama raised more money than Hillary Clinton for the presidential race, according to CRP's "Fundraising Over Time" data, which was updated today to reflect April totals.

May 21, 2008 | The presidential candidates were required to file their April campaign finance reports at midnight last night, and Barack Obama led the fundraising once again last month. Obama collected a total of $30.7 million, compared to Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's $25.8 million and Republican John McCain's $18.3 million.

May 20, 2008 | Although Republican John McCain's relationship with the National Rifle Association didn't start out with a bang, the presidential hopeful spoke at the group's annual convention Friday to try to win support.

May 19, 2008 | Another adviser to presidential candidate John McCain has resigned because of his work as a lobbyist, bringing the total in the last week to five. Tom Loeffler, McCain's national finance co-chairman, called it quits this weekend after the Republican's campaign manager required all campaign staffers with lobbying ties to cut those ties or resign.

May 19, 2008 | After months at a standstill, the Federal Election Commission may be back up and running soon. On Friday President Bush's controversial FEC nominee, Hans von Spakovsky, withdrew his name for consideration

May 15, 2008 | First John McCain came under fire for hiring lobbyists to advise him during his presidential bid after cultivating a reputation for opposing the influence of special interests on government. Now he's being criticized for the specific work that those lobbyists do.

May 15, 2008 | Sometimes all it takes to be the coolest kid on the block is throwing the best party--at least that's what the more than 50 corporations that signed up to underwrite the biggest Democratic bash of the year are banking on.

May 15, 2008 | Both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain want full control over how negative their messages do or don't get in the general election, and they're letting their donors know it.

May 14, 2008 | Republican John McCain faces the difficult task of distancing himself from an unpopular president while convincing his party that he is sufficiently conservative. This week he called for a mandatory limit on greenhouse gas emissions and made it clear that he doesn't think President Bush has done enough to curb global warming during his two terms in the White House.

May 13, 2008 | As Hillary Clinton makes her final appeals to voters to help her win the Democratic Party's nomination, she's continuing to focus on the demographic that has largely backed her from the start--women.

May 13, 2008 | From campaign finance reform to foreign policy to budgeting for social services, former Republican Rep. Bob Barr blasted the two major parties yesterday while announcing that he's running for president on the Libertarian ticket.

May 12, 2008 | Hillary Clinton has got a case of the blues worth $20 million, and so far she's not looking to opponent Barack Obama to cheer her up. The Hill yesterday reported that Clinton aides said the New York senator will stay in the presidential race even if Obama were to encourage his supporters to help pay off her campaign debt if she drops out.

May 12, 2008 | Republican John McCain is no George W. Bush, at least not in the view of some of the industries that gave generously to the president's 2004 re-election campaign. Last week Bloomberg's Jonathan Salant used data from CRP to look at how the securities and investment industry, construction sector, pharmaceutical manufacturers and energy companies are giving a greater amount of their money to Democratic candidates this cycle, despite being some of Bush's biggest backers in 2004.

May 9, 2008 | The Washington Post's story this morning about a land deal supported by John McCain that benefits his donors, bundlers and staffers illustrates how furiously Washington's revolving door spins. It's enough to make even a senator dizzy.

May 9, 2008 | Since the start of the election, Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been fighting for the spotlight in Hollywood, duking it out for the financial support of some of the country's wealthiest in the entertainment industry. While the two have received about the same in total contributions (roughly $3 million), Clinton may now start to fade into the background.

May 9, 2008 | Republican presidential candidate John McCain is speaking out against accusations that the White House's decision to remove Republican David Mason from the Federal Election Commission has anything to do with protecting his bid for president.

May 8, 2008 | President Bush moved yesterday to bring the Federal Election Commission to a full quorum but did nothing to settle the underlying dispute that has left the agency disabled during a busy election cycle.

April 24, 2008 | The U.S. Supreme Court had its hands full with money this week—more specifically, with campaign finance dollars. The justices considered Tuesday whether it's constitutional to "level the playing field" in congressional elections by increasing the dollar limit on individual contributions for candidates who face wealthy, self-funded opponents.

April 24, 2008 | A contribution of $2,300 to a presidential candidate can go a long way, but the contributions of $200 and less are going even further for the Democrats in the presidential race, according to a study by the Campaign Finance Institute this week. March marked the second month in a row where more than half of the contributions going to Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama came from donors giving $200 or less.

April 22, 2008 | Although Democrat Barack Obama's tax policy would be harmful to hedge fund managers, many of the wealthiest are getting behind him anyhow. The New York Times used data from the Center for Responsive Politics to determine which of the top 10 managers on Alpha magazine's 2007 rich list are contributing the maximum $2,300 to Obama.

April 21, 2008 | Republican John McCain won't have to struggle to match the fundraising prowess of either Democrats Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, according to new campaign finance reports that show he will instead accept public funding.

April 21, 2008 | Democrat Barack Obama entered April with strong fundraising numbers, going into the month with $42 million for the primary. Opponent Hillary Clinton didn't fare quite as well -- she had $10.3 million in debt at the start of April and $9 million for the primaries.

April 21, 2008 | Although John McCain has already moved on to the general election, the advocacy groups that will support his shot at the White House are still lagging a little behind, according to the Washington Post.

April 19, 2008 | For the first time ever, Republican John McCain has disclosed his tax forms, reporting an income of $405,409 last year. Citing privacy concerns, McCain did not release those of his wife, Cindy, but disclosure statements filed with the Senate in the past put her income at far more than $1 million.

April 18, 2008 | When environmentalists, lobbyists and eco-friendly citizens come a-knockin' on lawmakers' office doors on Earth Day next week, Democrats (and some Republicans) will detail their legislation that directs taxes collected from the oil and gas industry towards renewable energy initiatives. What they probably won't mention is that lawmakers themselves aren't taking a risk on them with their own money.

April 18, 2008 | In the midst of a busy election year, the Federal Election Commission has lacked a quorum since January to issue regulations, advisory opinions or even dole out public funds to presidential candidates. This week things went from bad to worse.

April 13, 2008 | The Democratic National Committee is filing a suit this week against Republican John McCain for pulling out of the public financing program. Party officials say McCain violated election laws by pulling out without the Federal Election Commission's permission, The Hill reported.

April 10, 2008 | Capital Eye chatted this week with Paul Ryan, program director for the FEC watchdog group Campaign Legal Center, about how a compliance fund works, why a candidate who accepts public funding needs one and what this means for campaign contributors.

April 10, 2008 | David Brock, who was once known as an anti-Clinton journalist, is leading a $40 million ad campaign against Republican John McCain. "Brock, now best known as the ex-conservative founder of the liberal group Media Matters, last month quietly assumed the chairmanship of what's expected to be the main vehicle for independent Democratic attacks on McCain, now called Progressive Media USA," The Politico reported.

April 7, 2008 | Responding to a call from Democrat Barack Obama to disclose her tax forms, Hillary Clinton released data last week showing she and her husband have earned $109 million over the last eight years. Most of their income has come from book writing and lectures, according to the New York Times.

April 3, 2008 | This week the Wall Street Journal examined the difficulty that the Republicans' presumptive presidential nominee, John McCain, appears to be having in raising money from traditionally Republican sectors, such as agribusiness, construction and energy.

April 3, 2008 | From aircraft and weapons manufacturers to producers of medical supplies and soft drinks, the investment portfolios of more than a quarter of Congress—and of countless constituents—include holdings in companies paid billions of dollars each month to support America's military in Iraq and elsewhere.

March 31, 2008 | As the Democratic candidates continue to battle for their party's nomination, Republican John McCain has moved ahead to the general election, starting his work on winning over elite donors.

March 28, 2008 | Democrat Barack Obama is using the Internet in new ways to get supporters to give money to his campaign. "It is the result of an elaborate marketing effort that has left Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, and Sen. John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, struggling to catch up," the Washington Post reported.

March 28, 2008 | Although Republican John McCain has in the past been critical of the role of special interest cash in politics, a top Washington lobbyist is joining his campaign this week full time, according to The Hill.

March 27, 2008 | The February campaign finance numbers are in for the presidential candidates, and Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continued to far out-raise Republican John McCain last month -- Obama collected $55.4 million and Clinton collected $34.5 million, while McCain brought in $10.9 million.

March 27, 2008 | Prominent backers of Hillary Clinton sent a multi-million-dollar message to Capitol Hill this week: Watch out, Nancy Pelosi. In a letter to the Speaker of the House that urged her to stay out of the debate over how superdelegates should cast their votes, the 20 major Democratic donors didn't call direct attention to the $23.6 million that they've given to the Democratic Party since 1999, but they reminded her of their "enthusiastic" support over the years.

March 21, 2008 | Republican John McCain raised $11 million last month, "but that was less than the $11.7 million the senator from Arizona raised in January, when he was still locked in a tight four-way race for his party's nomination, suggesting Republican donors have yet to coalesce behind their standard-bearer," The Politico reported.

March 21, 2008 | For an industry that exists to enhance communication, the telecom industry is awfully quiet these days. Instead, as members of Congress debate this week whether to provide immunity from lawsuits for those companies that allegedly cooperated with the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program, the telecom industry has reached out and touched lawmakers with cash.

March 21, 2008 | Republican John McCain this week opened a compliance fund, suggesting that he might opt for public financing in the general election, which would pump $84 million into his campaign but limit his spending. McCain's campaign told reporters the new account is a contingency.

March 17, 2008 | Both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain are taking their time releasing their tax returns to the public, while Democrat Barack Obama made his 2006 tax returns available last April. "The delays by Clinton and McCain perplex some government watchdog groups, which note that past presidential candidates had no trouble producing their tax returns in a timely fashion," the Miami Herald reported.

March 13, 2008 | The cost of a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract is $304,000 in campaign contributions and $2.8 million in lobbying expenditures (and a superior bid, the companies who won the contract would say). Under these circumstances, the North American arm of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company (EADS, parent of Airbus) partnered with U.S.-based Northrop Grumman to win the giant defense contract this week.

March 12, 2008 | Republican John McCain has been outspoken about the influence of special interests in Washington, but those working for his presidential campaign are lobbyists themselves. Most recently he's come under fire for his reliance on his top advisers who lobbied for a $35 billion contract for Airbus, which means the work will be outsourced.

March 10, 2008 | With his Republican opponents now out of the way and the Democratic candidates still focusing on their own battle, John McCain plans to use the breathing room to focus on fundraising and party building. The Arizona senator will hold 20 to 30 fundraising events a month, according to the New York Times. "Now that Mr. McCain, of Arizona, has vanquished his Republican rivals, his campaign hopes to tap some of the big donors who had supported them," the Times reported.

March 6, 2008 | A few weeks ago we got a call from an ardent Democrat in Los Angeles who was concerned that Republicans might be donating to a particular Democratic presidential candidate -- a weaker candidate, in her opinion -- in hopes that this candidate would win the nomination and go on to lose to the GOP's nominee in November. Putting aside how difficult it would be to coordinate such a strategy, we decided to test her hypothesis.

March 4, 2008 | After winning Texas and Ohio, Republican John McCain gained enough delegates to lock in the party's nomination. McCain's campaign started out rocky financially but he has since built his warchest and implemented a winning strategy.

March 3, 2008 | Although Republicans have traditionally beat Democrats in fundraising, this election is remarkably different. In total, Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have likely raised more than $130 million in the first two months of the year, while Republican John McCain collected $12 million in January and has said his February numbers also put him far behind.

February 28, 2008 | The back-and-forth continued this week between presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and the Federal Election Commission over McCain's desire to opt out of the public financing system for the primary election. In a Feb. 25 response to FEC Chairman David Mason, McCain's attorney (who is a former FEC chairman himself) cited precedents for releasing McCain from the presidential campaign fund and its spending limits, because while McCain had qualified for taxpayer financing, he had not yet collected any money.

February 25, 2008 | On its way to Super Duper Tuesday, the Republican race has moved from warm 'n' sunny to chilly Maine for a brief stop this weekend. Nonbinding GOP caucuses are being held Friday through Sunday throughout the state as the first step toward selecting Maine's 18 delegates to the Republican National Convention in September.

February 24, 2008 | Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to block Republican presidential candidate John McCain from withdrawing from the public finance system.

February 21, 2008 | Following the money, you could have predicted how Tuesday's Democratic primaries in Wisconsin and Hawaii were going to turn out -- Barack Obama had a commanding fundraising lead over Hillary Clinton in both states.

February 21, 2008 | The candidates competing to be your next president raised $3.3 million per day last month, according to reports that those still in the running and those who dropped out filed last night with the Federal Election Commission.

February 14, 2008 | The only remaining presidential candidate to have qualified for government matching funds, John McCain, has decided not to use taxpayers' money to finance the rest of his primary campaign and prepare for the general election.

February 14, 2008 | Money was a poor predictor of the outcome of recent Democratic presidential primaries. In only two of the six Democratic contests did the winner of the money race also win the popular vote.

February 7, 2008 | Although money plays an undeniably powerful role in the election process, the Super Tuesday primary contests were a reminder that money can't buy you love. For the Democratic presidential candidates, two out of every three states voted on Tuesday for the candidate who had collected the most in contributions from that state through Dec. 31.

February 4, 2008 | According to the Washington Post, DC-area residents gave more than twice as much money last year to Democratic candidates as they did to Republicans, with Hillary Clinton collecting the most at $4.7 million.

February 3, 2008 | Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain maintained their status as lobbyists' favorite candidates all through 2007. By the end of the year, Clinton had collected $823,000 from lobbyists—more than anyone else—while McCain's haul totaled $416,000.

February 3, 2008 | Republican Ron Paul, an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, continues to draw the most contributions from uniformed service members, pulling far ahead of the rest of the presidential hopefuls by the end of 2007.

February 3, 2008 | Somewhere between the 3rd and 4th Quarters, the candidates seemed to struggle with maintaining their disclosure rates, turning in a greater percentage of campaign finance records that lack the full names of their donors along with their occupations and employers.

February 3, 2008 | Millions of football fans will be crowding their local bars or joining their friends in front of the television set on Sunday night to watch this year's Super Bowl game, putting politics briefly out of their mind. Just as fans have been cheering on their favorite teams to make it to this final game of the season, the NFL and its teams have been cheering on their favorite presidential candidates.

February 2, 2008 | With 22 states holding their primary contests on Tuesday, it's going to be a big day for the presidential candidates who've made it this far in the race. If money is a measure of support in the states that will be voting on Super Duper Tuesday, Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will split the vote, while Republican Mitt Romney will win on the Republican side.

February 2, 2008 | Winning the money race isn't just about who raises the most cash. It's also about how they spend it and what position they're in should they go on to the general election. By the year's end, Democrat Barack Obama raised nearly $97 million for the primaries—more than any other candidate—but had only $13.4 million of that left to spend, compared to the $17.9 million that opponent Hillary Clinton had at her disposal before any voting began.

February 1, 2008 | Last November Republican John McCain took out a $3 million loan, offering his fundraising list as collateral. Now he's the Republican frontrunner and has found financial footing. But at one point the situation was dire.

February 1, 2008 | With Super Tuesday coming up, some candidates are increasing their advertising expenditures. Democrat Barack Obama plans to pour more than $10 million into ads in 24 states that will run through Feb. 5 and beyond, while opponent Hillary Clinton will advertise in 22 states holding primaries on Tuesday.

February 1, 2008 | Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain have the most fundraisers that lobby for foreign countries, according to ABC News, giving those countries more access to Washington. "You always want someone who is well-connected, someone who is going to be greeted with open arms," Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, told ABC News.

January 31, 2008 | If money is any measure of popular support in the states voting on Feb. 5, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will split the Democrats' Super Duper Tuesday vote, and Mitt Romney will dominate on the Republican side.

January 30, 2008 | Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani is expected to announce today that he will be dropping his bid for president. Giuliani received a "devastating blow" on Tuesday night after opponent John McCain won delegate-rich Florida, reported the New York Times.

January 23, 2008 | Republican <a href=”http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00006424&cycle=2008″>John McCain</a> faces <a href=”http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00000286&cycle=2008″>Mitt Romney</a>, an opponent who can lend his own campaign millions of dollars, forcing the Arizona senator to scramble to raise money before next week’s primary in Florida. McCain has scheduled at least seven fundraisers before then. But “by packing his schedule with fundraising events, McCain has risked devoting…

January 17, 2008 | Four days after Michigan’s primary, Republican voters in South Carolina will decide their favorite candidate on Saturday. (Democrats will vote Jan. 26.) The top fundraiser in the state was Rudy Giuliani over the campaign’s first three quarters, with at least $390,860, despite not campaigning there. John McCain, who reported the most spending in South Carolina,…

January 10, 2008 | Despite his promise to his donors not to sell their information or give it to a third party, Republican <a href=”http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00006424&cycle=2008″>John McCain</a> used his fundraising list as collaterol in getting a loan for his struggling campaign last year. “That seems to put the Republican senator’s campaign in a pickle; either it pledged to its bank…

January 10, 2008 | The presidential field splits in two for its next stage, with the Republicans focusing on Michigan and the Democrats turning to Nevada. If money is any guide for Mitt Romney — and in Iowa and New Hampshire, it wasn’t — he will come out way ahead of John McCain and Mike Huckabee in Michigan. By…

January 9, 2008 | <a href=”http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00000019&cycle=2008″>Hillary Clinton</a>’s financial situation wasn’t looking great after her loss to <a href=”http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008″>Barack Obama</a> in Iowa, but her campaign regained hope after her win this week in New Hampshire. Her campaign has said it will now be able to match the money Obama brought in after Iowa. On the Republican side, New Hampshire winner…

December 6, 2007 | Lobbyists do represent ordinary Americans, as Hillary Clinton claims, but those contributing to her campaign mostly represent big industries, the Center for Responsive Politics finds. Obama and Edwards eschew lobbyists' money, but their biggest contributors still lobby in Washington.

November 1, 2007 | Exclusive analysis finds lawyers are still the biggest givers to candidates for the White House, but retired contributors have edged out Wall Street. A year before '08 election, Democrats have the edge in nearly every major industry.

October 19, 2007 | Despite his anti-war stance, or perhaps because of it, Ron Paul continues to collect more money from members of the U.S. military than any other presidential candidate, including John McCain, a Vietnam War prisoner who backs the administration's policy in Iraq.

October 19, 2007 | As senators, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are debating legislation that would significantly increase taxes on hedge funds and private equity firms. As presidential hopefuls, the two are raking in money from the industry, while Mitt Romney, who made his fortune in private equity, is seeing a decline in contributions from them. Nearly 61 percent…

October 18, 2007 | Former actor Fred Thompson came into the presidential race this quarter with strong ties to the entertainment industry and his Hollywood connections seem to be paying off in the political realm. With at least $43,275, the former Law & Order actor brought in more from the entertainment industry than any of the other Republicans in…

October 18, 2007 | When Congress takes a month off over the summer, much of the nation’s capital does, too. It seems this year’s vacation also meant a break from campaign contributions to the presidential candidates—D.C. residents gave $2.2 million, which is 33 percent less than what they gave during the 2nd Quarter. The summer heat didn’t change D.C.…

October 17, 2007 | As in elections past, the presidential candidates won’t be running their campaign on political action committee money this cycle. Less than 1 percent of all contributions to the presidential candidates has come this year from PACs, which are more likely to put their money into congressional races and hope for a payoff. The bulk of…

October 17, 2007 | Next summer, Denver, Colo., will play host to the Democrats’ nominating convention and the Minnesota “twin cities” of Minneapolis and St. Paul will do the same for the Republicans. Hosting a convention means increased tourism for the city and state and can galvanize political involvement by residents, which sometimes translates into political contributions. The Denver…

October 16, 2007 | The summer months afforded the Democratic candidates a chance to lessen their total debt by about $383,000. The season, however, wasn’t as good to Republicans. GOP candidates increased their total debt by $9.6 million, $8.4 million of which was accrued by Mitt Romney when he lent himself the money. The wealthy former Massachusetts governor is…

October 16, 2007 | With the primaries just months away and expensive advertising a campaign necessity, some candidates are spending more than they’re bringing in. During the 1st Quarter, when the candidates only had what they received to spend, only Democrat Mike Gravel spent up to the amount of his receipts. In the 2nd Quarter, six candidates spent beyond…

September 20, 2007 | Most donors in foreign countries appear to work in private industry, not in foreign service or the military, as first reported. The story has been updated to reflect this finding.)As globalization moves American executives to financial metropolises around the world and the Internet allows for easier connection among politically minded U.S. expatriates, the 2008 presidential candidates are expanding their fundraising efforts beyond the United States's borders.

July 19, 2007 | The District of Columbia doesn’t have voting representation in Congress, but by opening their wallets for presidential hopefuls this election cycle, the citizens of DC are certainly making their voices heard. The nation’s capital is chock full of politically inclined contributors and special interest groups with a stake in the upcoming primaries, and Democratic candidates…

July 18, 2007 | Presidential hopefuls with their eyes on the White House know that they must first charm the big shots of the silver screen. While the television, movie and music industry contributed less overall to candidates during the second quarter, giving $1.9 million instead of the first quarter’s $2.5 million, for a total decrease of 26 percent,…

July 18, 2007 | Democrat Joe Biden may not have brought in the biggest haul from the casino and gambling industry, but he saw the largest increase in funds from both the industry and from the Las Vegas metro area of any other presidential hopeful. He went from receiving just $500 in the first three months of the year…

July 18, 2007 | As Congress has tried to tackle the issue of whether to tax private equity and hedge fund firms, the presidential candidates have had to take a stance on whether they support such a move. It’s a delicate question, since in the first six months of the year the industry has given the hopefuls a total…

July 17, 2007 | For candidates to prove their viability, they have to bring in funds at a rapid clip, especially with the record-breaking pace being set by the likes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney. Obama managed to bring in an average of about $364,000 a day during the second quarter, Clinton’s haul was about $297,000…

July 16, 2007 | t’s never a good sign when you’re spending more money than you’re bringing in, even when you’ve got savings in the bank. Seven of the presidential candidates—five of them Republican—did just that second quarter, spending more than what they raised from April through June, with Democrat Christopher Dodd spending 134 percent of what he raised…

July 16, 2007 | Some presidential campaigns may appear wealthier than they really are, as cash-on-hand figures do not always indicate the actual total a candidate has to dip into. Sometimes the candidates have debt to pay, incurred by accepting loans from others or by giving a loan from their personal funds to their campaign. Mitt Romney lent his…

July 16, 2007 | The presidential candidates who have the most cash left over after the second quarter are well positioned to spend the money as they need it–and at least some of it will go toward raising even more money. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who brought in the most during the second Quarter, also ended the period…

April 18, 2007 | The industries spending the most to support their candidates of choice haven’t necessarily determined who, exactly, their candidate of choice is after the first quarter. Law firms are clearly leaning Democratic, having given 78 percent of their $14.6 million to Democrats, and clearly favor John Edwards. But when it comes to dividing the cash between…

April 18, 2007 | Politicians looking to become fundraising superstars often have to win over the hearts of Hollywood, New York and everywhere else that movies and television shows are made. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have proven successful in wooing the entertainment industry at fund-raisers in Los Angeles. After the first quarter, Clinton ended up with nearly…

April 18, 2007 | Candidates face a conundrum when it comes to lobbyists and their money. On the one hand, politicians may not want to be associated with the industry that spawned Jack Abramoff and other K Street scandals. On the other hand, lobbyists are professional networkers with access to wealthy people. John Edwards and Barack Obama have made…

April 17, 2007 | Six candidates—three Democrats, three Republicans—have emerged from the multitude to form a top tier. With fundraising prowess and name recognition that sets them apart, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney brought in $21.5 million on average, 10 times more than the average of those considered in the second…

April 17, 2007 | Since candidates don’t have to itemize every donation—just those from contributors giving more than $200—it’s impossible to calculate an average donation from their campaign finance reports. But calculating the percentage of a candidate’s money that comes in small donations—$200 and under—is possible. Based solely on itemized donations, only 8 percent of Hillary Clinton’s first quarter…

April 16, 2007 | For members of a political party that has traditionally run on a platform of fiscal responsibility, the Republicans campaigning for president are looking like spendthrifts. Seven of the 10 candidates who have burned through the most money since January, as a percentage of their fundraising, are Republicans. Leading the big spenders is Kansas Sen. Sam…

April 16, 2007 | To distance themselves from Washington’s special interests, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards both declared their presidential campaigns would not accept money from political action committees. But the first campaign finance reports of the 2008 election reveal that their promises to eschew PAC money may not be as bold as…

December 14, 2006 | Ethics proposals that would ban lobbyists from paying for lawmakers’ meals have Washington restaurants worried. By Miranda Blue December 14, 2006 | At Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse, a white-tableclothed Washington institution in the shadow of the Capitol, you can lunch on the Kansas City rib-eye chop with onion confit for $38. Two blocks away, at the…

December 5, 2006 | In 2008, presidential candidates will have to raise record sums, so talking now to donors—not just voters—is crucial. By Lindsay Renick Mayer December 05, 2006 | (Updated to incorporate 2004 inflation-adjusted grants and spending limits) As the 2006 midterm election moves from the headlines to the history books, the focus has already shifted to 2008…

June 26, 2006 | State’s limits on contributions are too low, justices agree, and spending caps are unconstitutional. By Eric Warren June 26, 2006 | In a fractured decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down today a Vermont law that put the nation’s tightest restrictions on campaign contributions and spending. The 6-3 decision in Randall v. Sorrell was the…

May 30, 2006 | Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson has contributed generously to Republicans—more than outgoing secretary John Snow. Paulson’s wife and employees favor Democrats, however. By Massie Ritsch and Neil Tambe May 30, 2006 | In nominating Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson to be the next Secretary of the Treasury, President Bush tapped a major Republican donor who…

March 23, 2006 | GOP activists favor these candidates for the White House in 2008. But who will the money follow? By Courtney Mabeus March 23, 2006 | Republican Party leaders and activists gathered in Tennessee this month, and in a straw poll anointed native son Bill Frist as their chosen one to run for president in 2008. The…

March 1, 2006 | Justices, now joined by Alito, express disfavor for spending limits and wonder about state’s unusually low contribution capsBy Courtney Mabeus March 01, 2006 | Vermont has the strictest campaign finance law in the country, but questioning Feb. 28 by the U.S. Supreme Court suggested the justices may rule that the state’s limits on campaign contributions…

January 23, 2006 | By remanding Wisconsin case to lower court, justices avoid re-examining Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act until O’Connor leaves bench By Courtney Mabeus January 23, 2006 | The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to resolve a dispute between an anti-abortion group and the federal government over the constitutionality of federal law dictating how political advertisements can be…

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